title: Genome-wide ancestry patterns in Rapanui suggest pre-European admixture with Native Americans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rapa Nui (Easter Island), located in the easternmost corner of the Polynesian Triangle, is one of the most isolated locations on the planet inhabited by humans. Archaeological and genetic evidence suggests that the island was first colonized by Polynesians around AD 1200, during their eastward expansion. Although it remains contentious whether Polynesians reached South America, suggestive evidence has been brought forward supporting the possibility of Native American contact prior to the European "discovery" of the island in AD 1722.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We generated genome-wide data for 27 Rapanui. We found a mostly Polynesian ancestry among Rapanui and detected genome-wide patterns consistent with Native American and European admixture. By considering the distribution of local ancestry tracts of eight unrelated Rapanui, we found statistical support for Native American admixture dating to AD 1280-1495 and European admixture dating to AD 1850-1895.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These genetic results can be explained by one or more pre-European trans-Pacific contacts.
authors.affiliation: Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
authors.forename: J Víctor
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Moreno-Mayar
authors.affiliation: Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 208, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.affiliation: Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
authors.forename: Andaine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seguin-Orlando
authors.affiliation: Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark; Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.affiliation: Center for Theoretical Evolutionary Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology and Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3140, USA.
authors.forename: Mason
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Siri Tennebø
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Flåm
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Benedicte Alexandra
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Lie
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Gregor Duncan
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Gilfillan
authors.affiliation: Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark; Center for Theoretical Evolutionary Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology and Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3140, USA.
authors.forename: Rasmus
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thorsby
authors.affiliation: Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark. Electronic address: ewillerslev@snm.ku.dk.
authors.forename: Eske
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Willerslev
authors.affiliation: Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark. Electronic address: annasapfo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anna-Sapfo
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Malaspinas
mesh_terms: D063426:Human Migration; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000235:genetics*; D011114:Polynesia / Q000208:ethnology