Inferring the demographic history of Chinese and Indian rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) populations from PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing data.

Genomic analysis reveals that Chinese and Indian rhesus macaque populations diverged approximately 140,000 generations ago, with current sizes of about 220,000 and 14,000 individuals respectively.

• Why it matters: Understanding the demographic history of these populations is crucial because their genetic and immunological differences impact biomedical research and interpretation, especially given the shift in source populations over time.
• What they did: Researchers sequenced whole genomes from ten individuals per population using PacBio HiFi long-read technology and applied four demographic inference methods to reconstruct their ancestral split, size changes, and gene flow.
• The result: The study provides a detailed demographic model that highlights significant population structure and history, serving as a foundational resource for future genetic, evolutionary, and biomedical investigations involving rhesus macaques.