Establish the timing and extent of Austronesian–Papuan admixture in Polynesia and Micronesia

Determine the timing and extent of the admixture between Papuan-related and Austronesian-related ancestries in Polynesian and Micronesian populations by integrating allele-sharing statistics (f3), identity-by-descent decay, and complementary demographic inference approaches.

Background

Polynesian and Micronesian populations show genetic signals consistent with ancestry from both island Melanesia (Papuan-related) and the Southern Philippines (Austronesian-related).

The authors explicitly state that the timing and magnitude of this admixture event had not been studied, prompting their use of f3 statistics and IBD analyses to explore relationships; however, a detailed chronology and quantification of admixture proportions remain to be established.