It was known through the Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming Institute of Zoology that research regarding the origin of the Himalayan Sherpas and their prehistoric migration patterns has made new progress. Studies indicate that a Sherpa ancestral population stems from the Tibetan population. At present, these related research results have already been published in the Chinese journal Science Reports.

According to reports, the scientific research personnel systematically collected DNA samples in the Khumbu region of Nepal and the Zham Town of Tibet. They took samples from more than 500 people, and they also carried out a comprehensive analysis regarding the related paternal and maternal genetic diversity. The study found that the vast majority paternal and maternal genetic lineage between Sherpa people and our Tibetan people are shared, and that they are a relatively recent branch off from the Tibetan population (having branched off about 1,500 years ago).

These research results also showed that Sherpas, previous to their migration to Nepal, had already inherited genes for adaptation to extreme environments on the plateaus from their Tibetan ancestors.

The the Sherpa people mainly live in the Khumbu region of Nepal, and have distribution in China's Tibet, India, Bhutan as well as Nepal border areas. They are world famous for their adaptability to high altitude in extreme environments. They usually serve mountaineers as guides and porters. In 1953, the Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Noguez along with New Zealand’s Edmund Hilary, where first humans ever reach the top of Mount Qomolangma.