Indigenous American Genomic Database Reveals Third Wave of Human Settlement in South America

On April 22, a study published in Nature highlights a third wave of human migration into South America, drawing from genomic data of Indigenous groups. The research involved examining 128 complete genomes from 45 ethnicities across eight Latin American nations, encompassing 199 individuals from 53 populations and 31 language families, alongside ancient DNA samples. Findings suggest that Indigenous communities from central and southern Mexico migrated to South America and the Caribbean approximately 1,300 years ago. The Indigenous American Genomic Diversity Project discovered over a million new genetic variants, addressing the lack of representation of Indigenous Americans in genomic studies. Additionally, the research confirms a genetic bottleneck due to European colonization and supports evidence of Australasian ancestry in certain Indigenous Americans. Co-authors include Tábita Hünemeier and Carlos Eduardo G. Amorim.