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Studies suggest 2 waves of ancient Asia settlement

By: Malcolm Ritter, AP Science Writer
NEW YORk (AP).- Early humans settled eastern Asia in two waves rather than just one, say two genetic studies that weigh in on a long-running debate among experts trying to trace the migrations of early humans. The first wave brought in ancestors of present-day aborigines of Australia, while the second brought forerunners of most current residents of east Asia, the studies conclude. One of the studies also showed that a species recently discovered in Siberia that’s related to modern humans traveled a much greater distance than previous evidence indicated, ranging farther south and deeper into Asia, a conclusion that at least one expert found very surprising. Neither study challenges the idea that our ancient ancestors emerged from Africa in just one wave. But the new research sheds light on what happened after that. The two studies, released Thursday, take different approaches. One, published online by the journal Science, analyzed DNA from