In a major breakthrough for paleogenomics, scientists have sequenced the DNA of 12,500-year-old remains found in the Atacama Altiplano. The study, featured in Nature Anthropological Research, identifies the earliest known genetic markers for high-altitude hypoxia resistance combined with unique physiological adaptations for survival in extreme hyper-arid conditions.
The analysis suggests that these early Paleo-American populations underwent rapid evolutionary selection shortly after arriving in the high Andes. This research significantly refines our understanding of how early human lineages dispersed into and thrived within some of the most challenging environments on the planet during the late Pleistocene.