More details have emerged about the techniques used by University of Auckland researchers in a recent study whose results backed earlier findings that Pacific settlers originated from Taiwan, traveling down south to the Philippines and on to Hawaii around 5,000 years ago.
Geneticists, biologists and linguists teamed up to provide further evidence that unravels one of the great mysteries of human migration. In a paper published this month in the journal Science, the researchers wrote of the fantastic sea voyages aboard primitive sailing craft from Taiwan.
The evidence came in large part from the DNA of Helicobacter pylori, a parasite that lives in the human gastrointestinal tract.
Molecular biologist Mark Achtman said that H. pylori was well established in the human gut when the first people left Africa about 60,000 years ago.
As each small band of explorers left the main group to go its own way — over periods of thousands of years — the DNA of H. pylori developed tiny changes that were passed from generation to generation, leaving their own distinct pattern of genetic mutation.
By taking gastric biopsies and mucus samples from the modern day Aborigines of Taiwan, the scientists found that their particular strain of H. pylori DNA came from what is known as the hspMaori family.
The researchers were able to trace and follow the exact same strain of DNA right through the peoples of the South Pacific, proving that the migration originated in Taiwan.
Peoples with another strain of H. pylori DNA — known as hpSahul — populated New Guinea and Australia more than 30,000 years ago from uncertain origins.
“Our results lend support for two distinct waves of migration into the Pacific. First, early migration to New Guinea and Australia accompanied by hpSahul and second, a much later dispersal of hspMaori from Taiwan through the Pacific by the Malayo-Polynesian-speaking Lapita culture,” the report said.
Among the scientists directly involved in the studies was Wu Jeng-yih (吳政毅) of Kaohsiung Medical University.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai
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