What Genes and Fossils Tell Us

Populating Asia


Around 40 000 years ago, humans pushed into Central Asia and arrived on the grassy steppes north of the Himalaya. At the same time, they traveled through Southeast Asia and China, eventually reaching Japan and Siberia. Genetic clues indicate that humans in northern Asia eventually migrated to the Americas.
 

The inset map shows the route into China 40 000 years ago. See if you can locate Japan which sits off of the Korean peninsula on the far right.