People have always wondered where our ancestors came from and how they managed to migrate across continents long before planes, trains, or roads ever existed. For centuries, archaeologists have studied the fragmented remains of ancient cities and artifacts left behind. In the last few decades, though, genetics has started filling in some of the gaps.
Earlier this month, archaeologists studied an ancient tooth that revealed new details about Stonehenge's construction. Across the Atlantic in Colombia, researchers have reexamined the remains of ancient Indigenous groups that lived 6,000 years ago. What they found was unprecedented. According to a new scientific study, one of these groups turned out to be from an entirely new lineage that had gone unnoticed until now.
Here's what scientists learned during their research and what happened to this long-lost ancient lineage.
Scientists Discovered Unknown Human DNA From The Bogotá Plateau
Back in May, a study published in Science Advances detailed the fascinating process of how researchers sequenced DNA from 21 ancient individuals found on Colombia's Bogotá plateau. The DNA comes from remains that span over 5,000 years of history, but one particular group stood out to scientists: the Checua. The remains of this group, which lived around 6,000 years ago near Nemocón, were discovered in 1992. However, this was the first time scientists had fully sequenced their DNA.
The genetic history of the Americas has been debated over the years, but many scientists say that ancient groups from East Asia and Siberia crossed into North America approximately 20,000 years ago. Their descendants then split into two main branches: northern Native Americans, who stayed closer to the Arctic and North America, and southern Native Americans, who spread farther south and became the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in Central and South America. From there, the southern branch broke up into even smaller groups.
However, the Checua didn't fit into either of those well-known branches. Their DNA also had no strong ties to the smaller groups.
"When we started to compare with other individuals from other parts of the Americas, we found that the individuals from the Pre-ceramic Period found here in the Cundiboyacense plateau have a lineage that hasn't been reported. It's a new lineage," study co-author, Dr. Andrea Casas, of the National University's Genetics Institute, told Reuters.
Instead, scientists came to the conclusion that the Checua represented a previously unknown South American lineage that broke off very early and managed to survive for thousands of years.
What Happened To The Checua?
No one really knows what happened to the Checua. The study's researchers suspect that, since the Checua may have been a small, isolated group of hunter-gatherers, they could have disappeared over time due to changes in climate, food shortages, or disease. What is certain is that they left behind no direct descendants.
According to a press release from the University of Tübingen, one of the most surprising findings was that the Checua's genetic signature vanished entirely. By around 2,000 years ago, their DNA was no longer detectable in the region's populations.
"We couldn't find descendants of these early hunter-gatherers of the Colombian high plains - the genes were not passed on. That means in the area around Bogotá there was a complete exchange of the population," said co-author Kim-Louise Krettek of the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment.
After the Checua disappeared from the Bogotá plateau, researchers believe that the next wave of people to settle there likely came from Central America. And they didn't arrive empty-handed. Along with new technologies like ceramics, these migrants may have also carried with them the roots of the Chibchan language family - a network of languages that are still spoken in parts of Central America today.
Discovery:
A new lineage of ancient Indigenous people, known as the Checua
Discovery Age:
6,000 years
Discovery Date:
1992
Discovery Location:
Nemocón, Colombia
Main Findings:
The Checua disappeared 2,000 years ago and left behind no known descendants
For now, the Checua remain a mystery. The discovery of their unique lineage is groundbreaking, but the reasons behind their disappearance are still unknown. Hopefully, future research reveals what became of these ancient individuals.