(Image credited: this image has been created using Microsoft Copilot)
DNA extracted from human remains at the Tequendama rock shelter in the Eastern Colombian Andes, radiocarbon dated to approximately 6,000 years before present (cal BP 5900–5700). Genome sequenced from a female individual (LMC006) interred with a juvenile, affiliated with the pre-ceramic Esmeraldas cultural complex.
Whole genome sequencing achieved 2.8× average coverage. Principal component analysis (PCA) and ADMIXTURE modeling positioned her as an outlier, basal to other ancient Andeans, with no f-statistics or IBD segments matching 12,000+ modern genomes globally. Her haplotype lacks continuity, indicating lineage extinction likely via founder effects, genetic drift, or demographic bottlenecks in small, isolated populations.
This has been Peer-reviewed in Science Advances (2024), led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
This finding highlights how paleogenomics is revolutionizing our understanding of the past in reconstructing population dynamics. By integrating ancient DNA with archaeological data, it reveals how stochastic processes like serial founder effects and local extinctions shaped pre-Columbian diversity, contrasting with models of continuous admixture.
From an evolutionary standpoint, the absence of descendants highlights genetic drift in small populations, where rare alleles vanish by chance. Imagine a branching tree where one limb snaps off entirely no regrowth. This case parallels other “ghost lineages” in the Americas, like the 14,000-year-old Anzick child in North America, whose genome shows partial continuity but underscores replacement events. Quantitatively, her effective population size () inference suggests , amplifying drift. Such findings refine models like the Out-of-Beringia expansion, emphasizing punctuated rather than gradual demographic histories
