Archaeologists unearthed 6,000-year-old skeletons in Colombia's Checua site, belonging to a unique lineage of hunter-gatherers unrelated to current Indigenous populations. By analyzing DNA from 21 individuals from different periods, researchers found a distinct genetic signature absent in today's gene pool, indicating these ancestors did not blend with other groups, but disappeared entirely. This discovery is pivotal for understanding human migration in the Americas, especially within the context of the Isthmo-Colombian cultural and genetic transition zone, linking North and South American populations.
The remains, discovered at the ancient preceramic site of Checua near Bogotá, were of hunter-gatherers whose DNA does not match that of any known Indigenous population.
Different from other ancient South American groups, the Checua individuals carry a unique ancestral signature that has completely vanished from the modern gene pool.
Collection
[
|
...
]