First Settlement and Long-Term Continuity
Archaeological evidence suggests that people first settled Palau’s limestone Rock Islands and the volcanic island of Babeldaob around 3,200 years ago. Prior to this study, no genome-wide ancient DNA data have been available. The new research fills this gap by analyzing DNA from 21 individuals recovered from four archaeological sites: Ngermereues Ridge burial cave, Ucheliungs Rock Island burial cave, Omedokl Rock Island burial cave, and the Ngkeklau area in northeastern Babeldaob.
Genetic analysis revealed that the earliest inhabitants of Palau possessed a consistent ancestry profile: approximately 60% East Asian and 40% Papuan. Modern-day Palauans show a similar genetic composition, indicating substantial population continuity for at least 2,800 years.
Papuan Ancestry Predates the Migration to Palau
One of the study’s most surprising discoveries concerns the timing of Papuan ancestry in Palauans. All ancient individuals analyzed in the study showed clear evidence of Papuan admixture. "Papuan" refers to populations whose primary ancestry derives from regions such as New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands. In this case, the Papuan admixture is more closely related to people of the New Guinea Highlands.
Using genetic modeling, the researchers estimated that this admixture occurred before the settlement of Palau itself, likely prior to 2,800 years ago, the approximate age of the oldest individual in the dataset. Therefore, the ancestors of the first Palauans were already mixing with people of Papuan ancestry almost a millennium before significant movement to the southwestern Pacific.
Rethinking Migration in the Pacific
The results challenge previous assumptions about the timing of genetic mixing in the Pacific. Researchers had expected Papuan ancestry in Palauans to arise around the same period as in other populations of remote Oceania. Instead, the new evidence suggests that this genetic mixing occurred significantly earlier, before people moved into the southwestern Pacific.
"We expected to find that the admixture of Papuan ancestry in Palauan ancestors occurred around the same time as in other remote Oceanian populations," says Ron Pinhasi. "So our new results of earlier Papuan mixture were surprising." He adds that the findings highlight the power of ancient DNA research to transform our understanding of human migration. "It shows that paleogenomic studies, especially in remote regions that were colonized relatively late in prehistory, will continue to produce remarkable discoveries and illuminate new details about the human past."
Scientific Publication
Yue-Chen Liu, Joanne Eakin, Jolie Liston, Rosalind Hunter-Anderson, Calvin Emesiochel, Kiblas Soaladaob, Sunny O. Ngirmang, Olivia Cheronet, Carla S. Hadden, Alexander Cherkinsky, Matthew Spriggs, Keith M. Prufer, Swapan Mallick, Nadin Rohland, Ron Pinhasi, David Reich (2026): Papuan admixture predated the settlement of Palau, Cell, ISSN 0092-8674, doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2026.02.011.
Contact
Univ.-Prof. Ron Pinhasi, PhD
Department of Evolutionary Anthropology
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna
Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna
+43-1-4277-54721
+43-664-8176207
