Indian genetic diversity is more about languages and social systems than just geography, says research – Times Now

Indias genetic diversity is tied to language and social systems rather than geography, says study.  |  Photo Credit: iStock Images

India and its diversity have always been a subject of intrigue to the rest of the world, and a matter of pride for the Indians.

Genetic diversity varies substantially among Indian populations. So much so that at the continental level, the Indian continental group has significantly higher DNA diversity than European and East Asian groups put together.The study of the subcontinents population is of great interest to anthropologists purely because of the sheer size of the Indian population, the complex demographic history, and our unique social structures.

While research in the past has unravelled human genetic variation to a great extent, India's vast reservoir of genetic diversity still has a lot of scope to be explored.

The past genetic analysis of the Indian population had revealed that the diverse groups that we see today in India come from two major ancient populations the Ancestral North Indians (ANI) and the Ancestral South Indians (ASI). Basically establishing that geography is the biggest driver behind the genetic diversity of a population.

However, that is not quite the case, says research from Purdue University. The new study has now indicated that while the geography influencing genetic diversity'theory might stand true for European countries, it is not the case with India.

The study involved a unique model of interdisciplinary research bringing together genetics and computer science to consider jointly many different factors that may have shaped heredities. Using the model the Peristera Paschou, a population geneticist and associate professor of biological sciences at Purdue and Aritra Bose, a doctorate in both data science and genetics analysed a comprehensive dataset that represents the diversity of the Indian subcontinent.

The results opened a range of possibilities that were hitherto unknown. It revealed that in places like India, language and social systems like castes strongly affect how and where people live, implying that our genetic diversity is influenced more than just geography.

To put in perspective, if you know someones genetics among the European population, you can guess where they are from, to within a few kilometres in some cases, and if you know where someones ancestors came from, you have a close approximation of their genetic makeup.

However, in the Indian context, spoken language was seen as a major force in bringing people together in India besides the socio-demographic factors. Simply put, the results threw light on how the Indian people moved into India, and how various groups of people commingled. People who speak the same language (or even similar languages) here tended to be much more closely related, even if they lived far apart geographically.

Now, this model developed to analyse Indias population genetics is significant. Based on this, anthropologists will now be able to study other populations where genetics are not as closely tied to where one lives or hails from. Essentially the non-European populations with rich histories of diversity and migrations.

And this, in turn, will help us understand the history of human movement and cultures. You never know, it might even pave the way to understanding human health and susceptibility to disease, and pave way for advanced medical research where diagnosis and the treatment model will vary with each genetic group.

So, if you are an Indian or an Indian-origin person, dont go about trying to find your ancestors on the internet-based genetic and ancestry services. Those rely on the geography of ones forebears to determine our roots. India is more than just that.

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Indian genetic diversity is more about languages and social systems than just geography, says research - Times Now