{
  "id": 8136828,
  "title": "Scientists trace half the DNA in Xinjiang’s oldest tombs to Yellow River farmers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/scientists-trace-half-the-dna-in-xinjiangs-oldest-tombs-to-yellow",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-18T01:00:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3367886/scientists-trace-half-dna-xinjiangs-oldest-tombs-yellow-river-farmers"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Hami oasis in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, situated between the Tianshan Mountains and the Gobi Desert, is home to the oldest known burial site in the region, the Tianshanbeilu cemetery. Here, more than 700 Bronze Age tombs, dating back 3,000 to 4,000 years, have been discovered. Initially thought to be inhabited by Eurasian nomads migrating eastward from the steppes, a recent study in the journal Science has revealed a genetically mixed population living in the eastern Tianshan region 3,600 years ago during China's Shang dynasty (1600-1050BC). Approximately half of this population's ancestry can be traced back to the Yellow River's millet-farming groups from the Middle and Late Neolithic period (4000-2000BC), while the other half originated from Chemurchek-related populations in the Altai and Dzungaria regions. This genetic mixing occurred nearly 1,800 years before the historic Silk Road, indicating a deep prehistoric foundation for trans-Eurasian mobility and exchange.",
  "summary": "Nestled between the Tianshan Mountains and the Gobi Desert, the Hami oasis in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is a land of little rain, battered by wind and sand year-round. It is also home to the region’s oldest known burial site, the Tianshanbeilu cemetery, located around 500km (310 miles) east of Urumqi, the regional capital. More than 700 Bronze Age tombs have been unearthed here, long…",
  "key_points": [
    "Tianshanbeilu cemetery houses over 700 Bronze Age tombs, 3,000-4,000 years old",
    "Genetic study reveals 50% of population's ancestry from Yellow River farmers",
    "Mixing occurred 1,800 years before Silk Road, showing prehistoric mobility"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The discovery of mixed ancestry in ancient Xinjiang tombs indicates a long history of population exchange between eastern and central China, challenging the notion of isolated regional development.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Scientists trace half the DNA in Xinjiang’s oldest tombs to Yellow River farmers",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/scientists-trace-half-the-dna-in-xinjiangs-oldest-tombs-to-yellow-8137588",
        "published": "2026-09-18T01:00:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}