Colombian scientists identify previously unknown ancient human lineage

Scientists in Colombia have identified a previously unknown lineage of ancient humans after fully sequencing DNA from remains excavated near the capital.

The group, named the Checua after the Nemocón municipality where their bones were unearthed in 1992, lived about 6,000 years ago and had never before been fully sequenced, Reuters reports.

“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,” said Dr. Andrea Casas, a researcher at the National University’s Genetics Institute. “It’s a new lineage.”

The discovery includes partial remains from around 30 people and one largely intact skull. Of these, six individuals had DNA complete enough to be included in a wider sequencing project that also incorporates remains excavated between 1987 and 2003.

Unlike the Checua, other ancient groups from the region shared genetic similarities with populations in Panama, Casas explained. This suggests they were part of migration waves that spread through Central America and Colombia after humans crossed the Bering Strait some 20,000 years ago.

Where the Checua came from — and what ultimately happened to them — remains a mystery. Casas said the group may have been an isolated, nomadic hunter-gatherer community that eventually disappeared due to climate conditions, disease, or food shortages. The lineage has no known descendants.

Physical evidence also sets the Checua apart. Their skulls are notably more elongated than others found on the plateau near Bogotá. Examining one intact cranium, Dr. Jose Vicente Rodríguez, professor of physical anthropology at the National University, noted signs of dental infection.

“Unlike later skulls, whose teeth show evidence of cavities, the Checua skull shows evidence of abscesses on the front upper part of its jaw, indicating its long-departed owner may have lost teeth to infection,” Rodríguez said.

Dietary clues also emerged from the remains. According to Rodríguez, volcanic eruptions may have destroyed surface crops, pushing early populations to rely on underground foods such as potatoes and tubers.

The project remains ongoing. “We work with the remains that are available,” Casas said. “Perhaps in a few years we’ll find other remains and they will shed some light on this lineage.”

By Sabina Mammadli