Human population dynamics and Yersinia pestis in ancient northeast Asia

We present genome-wide data from 40 individuals dating to c.16,900-550 years ago in northeast Asia. We describe hitherto unknown gene flow and admixture events in the region revealing a complex population history. While populations east of the Lake Baikal remained relatively stable from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age, those from Yakutia and the west of the Lake Baikal witnessed major population transformations, from the Late Upper Palaeolithic to the Neolithic, and during the Bronze Age, respectively. We further locate the Asian ancestors of Palaeo-Inuits, directly using genetic evidence. Finally, we report the most northeastern ancient occurrence of the plague-related bacterium, Yersinia pestis. Our findings mark the highly connected and dynamic nature of northeast Asia populations throughout the Holocene.