In-solution capture of 1.2 million SNP targets from ancient humans associated with the Lapita culture of Remote Oceania and Polynesia.. Lapita ancient DNA

The appearance of people associated with the Lapita culture in the South Pacific ~3,000 years ago marked the beginning of the last major human dispersal to unpopulated lands, culminating in the settlement of eastern Polynesia ~1,000-700 years ago. However, the genetic relationship of these pioneers to the long established Papuans of the New Guinea region is debated. We report the first genome-wide ancient DNA data from the South Pacific, from four ~2,900 to ~2,500 year old Lapita culture individuals from Vanuatu and Tonga, and co-analyze them with genotypes from present-day Oceanians.