Maternal genetic origin of Chao Lay coastal maritime populations from Thailand

Journal article

The Chao Lay, also known as sea nomads, include the Austronesian-speaking Moken, Moklen, and Urak Lawoi, who traditionally inhabit the coastal regions and islands of the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand. Their maritime lifestyle has attracted significant interest in their genetic origins and relationships with other sea nomad groups in Island Southeast Asia (ISEA); however, comprehensive genetic data on these communities remain scarce. Here, we generated complete mitochondrial genome sequences from Moken and Moklen groups, along with the Tai-Kadai-speaking southern Thai population and additional Austroasiatic-speaking Maniq samples (hunter-gatherer) from southern Thailand.Background Results Genetic diversity within Southern Thai populations Haplogroups characteristic of Chao Lay and Maniq and divergence estimates Past effective population size Genetic diversity and genetic relationships among populations Discussion Conclusions Methods Samples MtDNA sequencing and data processing Statistical analysi

Authors: Kutanan, W; Woravatin, W; Srikummool, M; Suwannapoom, C; Hübner, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Journal: BMC Biology
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 146-146
• Publication date: 2025-05-28
• DOI: 10.1186/s12915-025-02252-5
• EISSN: 1741-7007
• ISSN: 1741-7007
• Language: English
• Keywords: Evolutionary biology; Genetics; Ecology; Biology