Scientists have identified a group of ancient hunter-gatherers who lived around 6,000 years ago in the high plateaus near what is now Bogotá, Colombia. This group lived close to the land bridge that once connected North and South America. The discovery was reported in the journal Science Advances. DNA from the group shows they were different from both ancient Native Americans in North America and ancient or modern South Americans. Scientists are not sure where this group fits in the human family tree. Archaeologist Andre Luiz Campelo dos Santos, who was not part of the study, said this discovery was unexpected, as no other ancient group was thought to have lived in South America.

The study suggests that this group disappeared about 4,000 years ago. Later, a different group of people with a new genetic background lived in the same area. It is not clear why the ancient group vanished. Some experts think they may have joined a larger population, while others believe they were forced to leave. More DNA studies are needed to find out if their descendants still live in South America. The research team explained that studying ancient genes in this region is important for understanding how early people moved from North America to South America. This area is considered a key point for the spread of early humans across the continent.