Ancient DNA reveals ‘unexpected’ new group of people who lived near land bridge between the Americas

Scientists person identified a caller pod of ancient hunter-gatherers who lived adjacent nan onshore span betwixt North America and South America astir 6,000 years ago.

Researchers are still charting how human populations spread crossed nan Americas thousands of years ago, arriving first successful North America earlier veering south. Groups that divided disconnected developed their ain postulation of genes that scientists tin usage to portion together nan quality family tree.

Discovered done ancient DNA, nan group lived successful nan precocious plateaus of present-day Bogotá, Colombia — adjacent to wherever nan Americas meet. Scientists aren’t judge precisely wherever they autumn successful nan family character because they’re not intimately related to ancient Native Americans successful North America and besides not linked to ancient aliases present-day South Americans.

Scientists person identified a caller pod of ancient hunter-gatherers who lived adjacent nan onshore span betwixt North America and South America astir 6,000 years ago. AP

The caller study was published Wednesday successful nan diary Science Advances.

“Up to this point, we didn’t judge location was immoderate different lineage that would look successful South America,” said archaeologist Andre Luiz Campelo dos Santos pinch Florida Atlantic University who was not progressive pinch nan caller research. “This is unexpected.”

Just 4,000 years later, these ancient humans were gone and a genetically-different quality clan inhabited nan area. Scientists aren’t judge precisely what happened to make them slice distant — whether they mixed into a new, bigger group aliases were pushed retired entirely.

Analyzing much genes successful South America will thief corroborate if this caller group genuinely did vanish aliases if location could beryllium grounds of their descendants elsewhere, said Campelo dos Santos.

Studying these ancient Colombian genes are important to piecing together nan history of nan Americas since ancient group had to transverse this onshore span to settee successful and dispersed crossed South America.

The area is “the gateway to nan South American continent,” said study writer Andrea Casas-Vargas pinch nan National University of Colombia.