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Ancient DNA provides new insights into the early peopling of the Caribbean:
The researchers analysed the genomes of 93 ancient Caribbean islanders who lived between 400 and 3200 years ago using bone fragments excavated by Caribbean archaeologists from 16 archaeological sites across the region.
Due to the region's warm climate, the DNA from the samples was not very well preserved. But using so-called targeted enrichment techniques, the researchers managed to extract enough information from the remains.
"These methods allowed us to increase the number of ancient genome sequences from the Caribbean by almost two orders of magnitude and with all that data we are able to paint a very detailed picture of the early migration history of the Caribbean," says Johannes Krause, Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, and another senior author of the study.
The researchers' findings indicate that there have been at least three different population dispersals into the region: two earlier dispersals into the western Caribbean, one of which seems to be linked to earlier population dispersals in North America, and a third, more recent "wave," which originated in South America.
Pre-Columbian maritime trade and movement may have been more robust than thought.
Journal Reference:
Kathrin Nägele, Cosimo Posth, Miren Iraeta Orbegozo, et al. Genomic insights into the early peopling of the Caribbean [$], Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.aba8697)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 06 2020, @12:53AM
I know that the Rastafarians were the third dispersal, but were the pirates the first or the second?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 06 2020, @01:03AM (1 child)
Extracting ancient DNA fragments is notoriously unreliable business. Two from the north, and then another from the south, sounds suspiciously similar to European "discovery" of America.
Last but not least, this is another pheonix submission from phys.org.
Make of it what you will.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 06 2020, @03:58AM
Not only that, but the real article is hidden behind a paywall even though the research was paid for by the Danish public.
(Score: 2) by Kalas on Saturday June 06 2020, @02:30AM (2 children)
I'm no anthropologist but I find it hard to believe that's the proper term.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 06 2020, @03:07AM
peopling
pronounced (people ing): the ability to tolerate people and their stupidity, as well as your own stupidity in a public setting. To people or engage in the act of peopling is to be able to remain tactful despite a person's obvious stupidity, and/or, lack of social skills.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 06 2020, @04:36PM
You people peopling places people previously peopled are a pain in the poophole.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by jelizondo on Saturday June 06 2020, @03:18AM
The Mayan cities were abandoned between 1000 and 1200 C.E. and the Spaniards arrived until about 1502, however the Maya were still trading by boat with places as far away as present-day Colombia. In fact the first sight of Mayan people by the Spaniards happened at sea [wikipedia.org], off the coast of Honduras.
One can easily imagine that at the height of their civilization they could at least reach Cuba as it is some 157 miles (253 km) from the Yucatan coast, and from there to other islands.