A dive into the genetic history of India, and the role of vitamin A in skin repair
Science Magazine Podcast
Episode Insights
See all- Modern Indian populations display a broad assortment of Neanderthal DNA, with a unique diversity that allows reconstruction of about 90% of the Neanderthal genome, pointing to distinct intermixing events with Neanderthals in ancient times.
- Indian-specific Neanderthal sequences suggest a complex history of how Neanderthal genes might have been introduced into the Indian gene pool, including potential scenarios involving early settlers, interminglings, or direct encounters with Neanderthals on the subcontinent.
- Genetic evidence shows that current-day Indians primarily descend from a post-Toba eruption migration around 50,000 years ago, suggesting that the genetic contribution of humans inhabiting India prior to the eruption, about 74,000 to 80,000 years ago, did not significantly persist in today's Indian populations.
- The largest Indian genome sequencing project to date has illuminated the ancient migratory events that shaped the modern genetic landscape of the Indian subcontinent, involving indigenous hunter-gatherers, Iranian farmers, and Eurasian steppe herders.
- The presence of Neanderthal DNA in Indian populations, ranging from 1 to 2%, with unique sequences not found in other populations, further underscores the genetic diversity within the region.
- Retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, is found to be critical in guiding the plasticity of stem cells, enabling them to revert to their original state after repairing tissue damage, thus playing a key role in processes like skin barrier restoration and hair regrowth.
- The flexibility of stem cells in the skin, which can modify their function to assist in repair following injury, relies on understanding how certain signals, like retinoic acid, govern their lineage plasticity. This knowledge has broader applications for wound healing and potentially for cancer therapy.
- The discovery of retinoic acid's effect on stem cells not only advances the study of hair biology but also proposes new therapeutic possibilities for nonhealing wounds and other conditions where the regulation of cell plasticity is disrupted.