A recent study conducted by geneticists challenges the conventional isolation-by-distance model often used in genetic studies. The research focused on the genetic makeup of the Veddas, an indigenous people from Sri Lanka. Traditionally, it was believed that the Veddas were descendants of early hunter-gatherer populations who arrived in Sri Lanka around 18,000 years ago. However, the study found a close genetic link between the Veddas and the people of South India. This discovery challenges the widely accepted isolation-by-distance model and sheds new light on the genetic history of the Veddas.