A team of researchers has uncovered evidence of a previously unknown human lineage that lived in northern China around 11,000 years ago, shedding new light on a key period when societies began shifting from hunting and gathering to early farming.
The discovery is based on ancient DNA recovered from human remains at the Donghulin archaeological site in western Beijing. The site, used as a burial ground for roughly 2,000 years at the end of the last Ice Age, offers rare insight into a time of major environmental and cultural change.
The study, led by Ganyu Zhang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and published in Current Biology, analyzed genetic material from three individuals buried between about 11,000 and 9,000 years ago. Scientists successfully reconstructed complete mitochondrial genomes from all three individuals and obtained broader genomic data from two.
Their findings reveal a complex and previously unrecognized population history in the region.
Genetic evidence points to a lost lineage
One individual, identified as DHL_M1 and dated to about 11,000 years ago, carried a genetic signature unlike any previously recorded in northern East Asia. Researchers said this lineage appears to have split very early from other known populations, around the same time as one of the oldest identified groups in the region from the Amur River area.
Scientists suggest this individual may represent a lineage that has not been documented before, or possibly a genetic mix involving populations still unknown to modern research.
In contrast, a later individual from the same site, DHL_M2, who lived about 9,000 years ago, showed a very different genetic profile. His ancestry closely matched populations linked to the southern Mongolian Plateau.
The sharp genetic differences between individuals buried at the same site, but separated by about 2,000 years, indicate a significant population shift over time. This conclusion aligns with earlier archaeological findings, including changes in skull structure and evolving pottery styles found in different layers of the site.
Early farming emerges amid climate pressure
Despite the apparent population changes, cultural practices at Donghulin remained continuous. The site contains some of the earliest known evidence of domesticated foxtail millet, a key crop in ancient China. Researchers observed that the presence of domesticated millet increased steadily over time.
Experts believe that climate instability during the early Holocene period may have forced communities to adapt their food strategies, encouraging the gradual adoption of agriculture.
Physical signs of stress found in the bones of both individuals suggest that living conditions were challenging during this transitional period. At the same time, artifacts such as marine shells and ostrich eggshell ornaments indicate long-distance connections, pointing to trade or interaction networks beyond the immediate region.
Researchers conclude that northern East Asia during this era was far more diverse and dynamic than previously understood, shaped by both environmental pressures and human movement.