BioProject

We generated genome scale SNP data from 32 individuals and 10 whole-genome sequences from a pygmy population living on Flores Island (Eastern Indonesia), in a village near the cave where remains of Homo floresiensis, an enigmatic small-bodied hominin species, were found. We use these data to infer the evolutionary history of this population, quantify levels of Neandertal and Denisovan ancestry and test hypotheses about introgression from other hominins. We identify a striking signature of positive selection encompassing the RAPSN gene cluster ( GeneID:5913, chromosome 11), likely related to diet. We also find that the short stature of Flores pygmies arose from polygenic selection acting on standing variation segregating in other human populations.