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Scientific studies have revealed that the diverse Asian population has been formed as a result of a single migration from the south.

The Pan-Asian SNP Consortium of The Human Genome Organization (HUGO) conducted the study on almost 2,000 Asians finding genetic similarities between Asians throughout the continent.

Some 90 scientists from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the US were involved in the consortium, BBC reported.

According to the study published in the journal Science, an increasing genetic diversity from northern towards southern latitudes were found.

Scientists screened genetic samples from 73 Asian populations for more than 50,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which can show if two individuals are genetically related.

Results showed that individuals coming from the same region, or speaking the same language had great genetic similarities, and Asia was populated through a single migration from the south.

"It seems likely from our data that they entered South East Asia first - making these populations older [and therefore more diverse]," a leading member of the consortium Edison Liu said.

According to Dr. Liu, the age of a population has a much bigger effect on genetic diversity than the size of the population.

"[It continued] later and probably more slowly to the north, with diversity being lost along the way in these 'younger' populations."

"So although the Chinese population is very large, it has less variation than the smaller number of individuals living in South East Asia, because the Chinese expansion occurred very recently, following the development of rice agriculture - within only the last 10,000 years."

Dr. Liu believes that the genetic similarities of the Asian population will help future studies and contribute to medical treatment of various diseases that might threaten Asians.

He also said that the findings were a "reassuring social message," which "robbed racism of much biological support."