The first modern humans didn’t see the Australia and New Guinea we recognize now; instead, they gazed upon a vast, unified landmass called Sahul.
Getting to Sahul wasn’t a matter of simply being carried there by ocean currents. It necessitated traversing open water stretches of at least 100 kilometers, marking a significant and pioneering achievement in human navigation.
Now, a new genomic study has shed light on how that journey happened. Published in Science AdvancesThis evidence backs up what archaeologists have theorized for a while, though geneticists have often argued against it: humans reached Sahul approximately 60,000 years in the past, rather than 45,000 years ago as proposed by certain previous theories. What’s even more remarkable is that they arrived via two separate pathways.
Two Paths
The study, published in Science Advances, signifying a large-scale global partnership spearheaded by Professor Martin Richards from the University of Huddersfield and Professor Helen Farr from the University of Southampton. The researchers examined almost 2,500 mitochondrial genomes, forming the most extensive collection of data ever compiled for this area.
These genetic signatures were drawn from Indigenous Australians, Papuans, and neighboring island populations across the western Pacific and Southeast Asia. The data paints a clear picture of two waves of migration, showing that there were two groups traveling on two different routes, around the same time.
・The Northern Route:A group journeyed through the areas that constitute modern-day Philippines and Sulawesi before arriving in New Guinea.
・The Southern Route:Another set of people traveled from Malaysia, stopping at islands along the way through Timor, before arriving in northern Australia.
Richards stated that they estimated the two migrations occurred around the same period, approximately 60,000 years in the past.New ScientistThis evidence backs the “long chronology” theory of habitation, contrasting with the “short chronology,” which posits that people arrived approximately 45,000 to 50,000 years in the past.
Professor Farr argues that, despite most ancestral lines originating in the north, the genetic data irrefutably demonstrates that both routes were utilized. This supports the idea that these ancient mariners had the necessary technology and navigational expertise to undertake planned, intricate voyages.
Most family lines originated in the north,” Farr explains. “However, genetic data undeniably indicates that both routes were utilized. This suggests that early sailors possessed the necessary technology and navigational expertise to undertake planned voyages.
Seafaring Pioneers
It is difficult to overstate the difficulty of this journey. At the time, sea levels were up to 120 meters lower than they are today, which connected Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania into one landmass. Yet, even at the glacial maximum, the ocean still separated Southeast Asia from Sahul.
Crossing it meant planning, building, and steering watercraft across unseen horizons.
“This is a great story that helps refine our understanding of human origins, maritime mobility and early seafaring narratives,” said Farr in a statement from the University of Southampton. “It reflects the really deep heritage that Indigenous communities have in this region and the skills and technology of these early voyagers.”
Archaeological discoveries complement the genetic story. Sites like Madjedbebe in northern Australia, where stone tools have been dated to at least 60,000 years ago, and Nauwalabila I, with artifacts of similar age, reinforce the timeline. Rock art in Sulawesi—some 45,000 years old—suggests these pioneers carried rich symbolic traditions long before Europe’s cave painters lifted a brush .
The Most Ancient Ancestry
To show this, the researchers reconstructed a mitochondrial tree that shows a branching pattern of genetic lineages diverging around that 60,000-year mark.
In the north, distinctive lineages such as M27, M28, and M29′Q trace deep roots in New Guinea and Near Oceania, while in the south, Australia’s own unique haplogroups appear to descend from the southern dispersal. Even today, about two-thirds of Aboriginal Australian maternal lineages descend from this southern stream.
Richards’ team compared these maternal signatures with paternal Y-chromosome data and genome-wide patterns. All pointed to the same conclusion: Sahul’s settlement was ancient, deliberate, and genetically diverse from the start.
“Our results indicate that Aboriginal Australians along with New Guineans have the most ancient unbroken ancestry of any group of people outside of Africa,” Richards told Live Science.
The study also unearthed surprises that go beyond the initial landing. In a much later Iron Age burial in Sulawesi, researchers found mitochondrial DNA closely related to ancient New Guinean lineages. This suggests that the migration wasn’t a one-way trip; there was likely back-migration and cultural exchange across the island chains for thousands of years.
Such evidence points to an enduring web of movement and contact, stretching across what is now Indonesia and the western Pacific. Not long after humans reached Sahul, some coastal settlers expanded further east, eventually reaching the Solomon Islands.
In Indigenous traditions across Australia, there is no origin story of arrival. People have always been “on Country.” The genetic evidence “respects the ontological perspective that many Indigenous people hold: ‘We have always been here.’
This story originally appeared on ZME Science. Want to get smarter every day? Subscribe to our newsletter and stay ahead with the latest science news.
