New research into the origins of the Austronesian languages
Thursday, January 28, 2016 - 13:05
in Paleontology & Archaeology
THE languages known as Austronesian are spoken by more than 380 million people in territories that include Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Madagascar and the islands of the Pacific. How did the population¬s of such a large and diverse area come to share a similar tongue? It is one of the most controversial questions in genetics, archaeology and anthropology. The University of Huddersfield's Professor Martin Richards belongs to a team of archaeogenetic researchers working on the topic and its latest article proposes a solution based on what has been the most comprehensive analysis so far of DNA from the region.