Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 36 islands and scattered over approximately 78,000 square km of the Arabian Sea with population of approximately 65,000. Recently, the team of scientists at CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) carried out first-ever genetic studies on the people of Lakshadweep Islands. The team was was led by Dr. K Thangaraj . The scientist have studied the major islands of Agatti, Andorth, Bitra, Chetlat, Kadmat, Kalpeni, Kiltan and Minicoy of Lakshadweep and demonstrated a close genetic link of Lakshadweep islanders with people from Maldives, Sri Lanka and India. They analyzed DNA samples of 557 individuals from these 8 major islands for mitochondrial DNA and 166 individuals for Y chromosome markers. The paternal and maternal ancestries of the majority of island populations suggest their arrival from distinct sources.
