An international team of geneticists has identified a previously unknown 'ghost' lineage in the genomic data of 12,000-year-old remains found in the Pampa region of Argentina. This ancestral group, distinct from both Paleo-Siberians and early Beringian migrants, suggests that South America was settled by multiple, genetically diverse pulses during the late Pleistocene.
The findings, published in the Anthropological Genetics Journal, indicate that this lineage possessed unique markers for high-altitude adaptation and extreme cold tolerance, despite being located in the lowland plains. This suggests a complex history of migration and environmental specialization among the first Americans.