Scientists Discover Ancient Hunter-Gatherer Group Near North, South America Land Bridge
Scientists have uncovered a previously unknown group of ancient hunter-gatherers who lived around 6,000 years ago near the land bridge connecting North and South America, as per The AP.
While researchers continue to map how early human populations migrated across the Americas—initially settling in North America before moving south—different groups branched off and developed unique genetic markers that help scientists trace the human family tree.
This newly discovered group was identified through analysis of ancient DNA and lived on the high plateaus of what is now Bogotá, Colombia, near the meeting point of the two continents. Interestingly, these ancient people are genetically distinct from both ancient Native Americans in North America and from other ancient or modern populations in South America.
The findings were published on Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
Around 4,000 years later, this group disappeared, replaced by a genetically different population in the same region. Scientists are unsure whether the original group assimilated with newcomers or was completely displaced..
Studying these ancient Colombian genomes is key to understanding the broader history of human migration across the Americas, as people crossed this crucial land bridge to settle and spread throughout South America.
