More DNA Evidence Proves Aboriginal Australians Have Been Here For 50,000 Years

New research published in Nature as part of the landmark Aboriginal Heritage Project has revealed Australia's Aboriginal people have continuously occupied the same distinct regions for up to 50,000 years—arriving at the point when Australia's landmass was still connected to New Guinea.

The study, led by the University of Adelaide in partnership with the South Australian Museum, is based on 111 hair samples that were collected by anthropologists in the first half of the 20th century. By tracing the mitochondrial DNA of these hair samples, researchers were able to trace maternal ancestry and show a firm link between modern Aboriginal Australians and a single population who arrived here 50,000 years ago.

Last year, a study that used saliva samples from living Aboriginal Australians made similar links. That research, also published in Nature, helped cool debate around whether or not modern Aboriginal people are the descendants of the ancient tribes who first populated Australia. In fact, it found that Aboriginal civilisations have lived in Australia for so long that they've been able to biologically adapt to its harsh environment, with adaptations varying between tribes who lived in different climates. Researchers also noted that Aboriginal Australians and Eurasians share genomic signatures, and a common African ancestor.

Both studies help confirm what archaeological evidence—including recovered stone tools and ancient rock art—already shows: Aboriginal Australians are the oldest civilisation on earth. Because the hair samples in the most recent study showed four distinct genetic groups that were associated with particular geographic areas within Australia, they also demonstrate the ancient cultural connection that Aboriginal people feel to areas of country they've occupied for tens of thousands of years.

It's fascinating from a scientific perspective, but the Aboriginal Heritage Project is especially useful for modern Aboriginal people who wish to find out more about their family's past—especially given many ancestral histories were lost due to events stemming from European colonisation (see: the forced removal of children from Aboriginal families).

According to the South Australian Museum, the project will enable research to allow Aboriginal families to "trace regional ancestry within Australia when oral or written records might be incomplete" and "assist people from the Stolen Generation and others with reunification and/or identification of family origins".

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