Genetic Variation in Melanesia

该研究项目将填补人类遗传变异描述中的一个重要空白-对来自黑猩猩岛的遗传物质进行全面分析，重点是线粒体DNA和Y染色体基因座。 正如Sykes最近提出的，美拉尼西亚岛是理解太平洋地区早期人口迁移的关键。 它以其语言和遗传多样性而闻名，但尚未以任何重要方式将更新的技术应用于对该地区样本的遗传分析。这项研究揭示的mtDNA和Y染色体DNA的变异模式将用于估计Melanesia岛最初和随后的居民的时间和性质，以及Melanesia与周围波利尼西亚，东南亚和澳大利亚的关系。 这些分析将对来自从新几内亚海岸延伸到太平洋的一连串岛屿的总共800名无关个体进行，这些岛屿包括：新不列颠、新爱尔兰和布干维尔。 这项研究也对估计现代人类首次出现的时间产生了影响。

This research project will fill an important gap in the description of human genetic variation - a comprehensive analysis of genetic materials from Island Melanesia, focusing on mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome loci. As Sykes re- cently suggested, Island Melanesia is the key to understanding early population migrations in the Pacific region. It is well known for its linguistic and genetic diversity, but newer techniques have not been applied to genetic analyses on samples from this region in any significant way. The pattern of variation revealed by this study in mtDNA and Y chromosome DNA will be used to estimate the timing and nature of the initial and subsequent peoplings of Island Melane- sia, and Melanesia's relation to the surrounding Polynesian, Southeast Asian, and Australian poulations. The analyses will be performed on a total of 800 unrelated individuals from a chain of islands stretching from the coast of New Guinea out into the Pacific, including: New Britain, New Ireland, and Bougainville. There are also ramifications from this study for estimation of the time of first appearance of modern humans.