Ancient discovery

GENETIC analysis of a young woman buried 7200 years ago in Indonesia was revealed as belonging to a lost lineage of humans. The discovery of the 17 or 18-year-old girl, dubbed “Besse”, is the first time ancient human DNA has been reported from Wallacea, the vast group of islands between Borneo and New Guinea, including Sulawesi.

“The Toaleans were early hunter-gatherers who lived a secluded existence … from around 8000 years ago until 1500 years ago,” the study said.