Team of researchers from SMVDU Katra provide scientific evidence against “Aryan Invasion Theory”

A study published recently in Nature Scientific Reports by the Human Genetics Research Group of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University provided strong evidences refuting the much acclaimed "Aryan Invasion Theory".

As evidences exist that ancestors of the human population of the world, originated in Africa and these ancestors migrated out of Africa and populated the world. India has served as a major corridor for modern human migration and was amongst the first regions of the world populated by humans once they left Africa. The most interesting of all and highly debated has been "Aryan Invasion Theory" which has been often associated with Caste formation in the Nation. The basic belief and evidences of invasions world-wide, have been mostly found associated with male migrations and contribution to the genetic content of a population.

Dr. Swarkar Sharma coordinated the study and team comprised of research scholars, Indu Sharma and Varun Sharma from SMVDU; Akbar Khan from Jammu University; faculty from both Institutions Dr. Ekta Rai and Dr. Parvinder Kumar; Prof. RNK Bamezai, a well-known human geneticist in India and Dr. Miguel Vilar, coordinator genographic project of National Geographic Society USA. The team picked mitochondrial DNA, which only is inherited from mothers to children, means only females inherit mitochondrial DNA. The team looked for mitochondrial DNA variations using Next Generation Sequencing Technologies and found it is not only few (already known and which are shared by other Indian population also as reported) but has lot new (potentially more than 19, found in the present study), indicating many new lineages exist (never reported earlier before).