Gut Microbiome Analysis Links Populations in Africa and South America

Archaeology Magazine ^ | October 9, 2026 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

According to a statement released by the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), a study conducted by scientists from UCSB and Stanford University has determined that the forager-farmer Tsimané people of lowland Bolivia and the hunter-gatherer Hadza people of Tanzania have highly diverse yet similar gut microbiomes, sharing more than 1,200 bacterial species. More than 60 percent of these bacterial species are rare or absent in the microbiomes of people living in industrialized populations. 

The researchers were surprised because the Hadza consume mammals, birds, fish, and foraged fruits and vegetables, while the Tsimané eat more fiber in the form of plantains, rice, manioc root, and corn, in addition to fish, peccary, and other mammals. "That made us wonder if there really is a core set of bacterial and other species that traveled with the ancestors of the Tsimané as they migrated around the globe," said Benjamin Good of Stanford University. 

The researchers identified genetic signatures in the bacterial DNA of both populations, and used mutation rates to estimate when bacterial species diverged from a common ancestor thousands of years ago. "The analysis shows strong evidence that their ancestors, and presumably all of us, had these same bacteria long ago," said Michael Gurven of UCSB. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Nature. To read about microbial DNA, go to "Worlds Within Us."

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TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: africa; bolivia; dietandcuisine; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; olmecs; precolumbian; tanzania

[SunkenCiv]

According to a new study, more than half of the modern Maya genome is derived from ancient populations who migrated to the Yucatán Peninsula from southern Central America and South America at least 5,600 years ago. A team led by archaeologist Keith Prufer of the University of New Mexico, geneticist David Reich of Harvard University, and archaeologist Douglas Kennett of the University of California, Santa Barbara, analyzed DNA from human remains recovered from two rock shelters in southern Belize. They discovered that a group of the individuals whose remains were radiocarbon dated to between 5,600 and 4,000 years ago are ancestors of present-day Chibchan-speaking populations that live between Costa Rica and northern Colombia. "These people moved into the area in fairly small numbers over a period of perhaps five hundred to one thousand years and mixed with local populations," Kennett says. 

This migration coincided with the introduction to the Yucatán of improved varieties of maize. Maize had originated in southwestern Mexico around 9,000 years ago and was dispersed to South America before being fully domesticated. It was then reintroduced to the north. Isotope analysis of the remains of the people found in the rock shelters revealed that their consumption of maize jumped significantly starting 4,700 years ago. Along with new maize varieties, and possibly other crops such as manioc and chilies, Kennett explains, the migrants likely brought horticultural knowledge that eventually led to the development of intensive agriculture in the Maya region. "By four thousand years ago, corn was a staple grain in their diet," he says. To see an image of excavations at one of the rock shelters in Belize, click here.

The Great Maize Migration | Benjamin Leonard | Archaeology Magazine | Digs & Discoveries | July/August 2022

[SunkenCiv]

Third one (about to post it) is another new one, but betrays a feeble understanding (and/or cherrypicking) of genetic roots.

[SunkenCiv]

Bethany Potter of the University of Kansas and her colleagues reviewed migration models for the arrival of modern humans in the Americas, Phys.org reports. They then compared the possible arrival times -- either before the Last Glacial Maximum, more than 25,000 years ago; during the Last Glacial Maximum, between 20,000 and 14,000 years ago; or after the ice finally retreated, some 14,000 years ago -- with DNA samples, archaeological evidence, and environmental data. 

Genetic evidence indicates that population lineages had already split into Northern and Southern Native American lineages some 15,000 years ago. No DNA evidence for such splits in the population more than 25,000 years ago have been identified. 

Archaeological evidence of human activity before 25,000 years ago may have been left by groups of people who did not survive or did not leave many descendants. According to the researchers, it is also possible their DNA has yet to be recovered or identified in later populations. 

The study therefore suggests that it is most likely that people arrived in the Americas between 20,000 and 14,000 years ago. "It is critical that paleogenomics research be rooted in questions articulated by archaeologists and tribal historians, and that such research be attuned to the needs and priorities of descendant communities," Potter concluded. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Current Opinion in Genetics & Development. To read more about theories regarding how the Americas were populated, go to "America, in the Beginning."

When Did People Arrive in the Americas? | Archaeology Magazine | October 7, 2026

[bert]

So, the Africans built only mut huts at home and then crossed the Atlantic to build pyramids in Central America and vast as yet only partially known cities in Brazilian Amazon plains

(The Rain Forest is weeds that grew in formerly human habitat)

[Redcitizen]

“ Gut Microbiome Analysis “.

I usually just go with my gut feeling.😏🤔

[ArcadeQuarters]

Colonists!

[Vermont Lt]

I guess if I lived in Africa, I would want to leave as well.

But seriously, Africa to South America is not that big of a leap—thats the direction the winds blow. If you have a decent ship with fair weather it would not take that long to get from one place to the other.

Getting back would be a bit tougher.

[Carry_Okie]

Where’s Thor Hyerdahl when we need him?