In this video, we explore a recent genetic study revealing surprising connections among Native American populations. The Suruí, Karitiana, and Xavante peoples in the Amazon share ancestry with indigenous Australasian populations from the Andaman Islands, New Guinea, and Australia. This connection traces back to an earlier group, "Population Y," in East Asia, with both groups diverging 15,000 to 30,000 years ago.
The Xavante, residing on the Brazilian plateau, uniquely exhibit the Y signal outside the Amazon. The research suggests that some of the earliest South American migrants carrying the Y signal likely followed a coastal route 15,000 to 8000 years ago, dispersing into the central plateau and Amazon.
This discovery challenges previous notions, as the genetic link to indigenous Australasians is closer for the Suruí, Karitiana, and Xavante than with any other Native American population, with no trace among other groups in the Americas. The genetic markers of this ancestor do not match any known contributors to Native American ancestry, ruling out post-Columbian European, African, or Polynesian influences.
