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The Xiongnu, the first nomadic empire in Asia, left no known written records to explain their origins, making this an intriguing ancient genetic mystery. But a new study has cast light on how the Xiongnu and Mongol empires and other ancient Central Asian cultures formed and interacted with each other. Researchers have taken on the daunting task of reconstructing the 6,000 year genetic history of Mongolia - including the time of the rise and fall of the nomadic empires - with some surprising results. A release by the Max Planck Institute reports that there were several organized and “highly influential nomadic empires” that populated the eastern Eurasian Steppe between the late Bronze Age and the Middle Ages. The Xiongnu was