Eight millennia of continuity of a previously unknown lineage in Argentina
Article Meta data
Article Date = 05 November 2025
Article URL = https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09731-3
Article Title = Eight millennia of continuity of a previously unknown lineage in Argentina
Article Image = (not provided in the paper extract)
Summary
This Nature paper reports ancient genomic evidence for a previously unrecognised genetic lineage in central Argentina that shows continuity for roughly eight millennia. The team analysed newly sequenced ancient individuals alongside previously published ancient and modern datasets, used robust population-genetic tests (f-statistics, Fst trees, ROH/hapROH analyses) and radiocarbon-dated archaeological contexts to show long-term local persistence with limited demographic change in the region. The study also documents a few instances of gene flow between Central Argentina and neighbouring regions, and emphasises data and code availability plus community and ethical engagement.
Key Points
- The authors identify a distinct lineage in central Argentina that persists for about 8,000 years, from the Early/Middle Holocene to late pre-contact and historic periods.
- Analyses combine newly generated genomes with large comparative datasets (Allen Ancient DNA Resource, 1000 Genomes, etc.) to place the lineage in the wider South American genetic landscape.
- Population-genetic tests reveal continuity rather than wholesale replacement in Central Argentina across millennia, with no clear evidence for major population-size growth or decline in the last ~2,500 years.
- The study finds three detectable instances of gene flow between Central Argentina and neighbouring regions, indicating limited but episodic external connections.
- Data and code are openly provided (Harvard Dataverse, ENA, and GitHub repository), and the project reports community engagement and adherence to ethical guidelines for ancient DNA research.
Content summary
The paper presents a comprehensive archaeogenomic study focused on central Argentina. Researchers sequenced and analysed multiple ancient individuals and compared them with published ancient and modern genomes. Using standard and advanced population-genetic approaches (f4-statistics, Fst clustering, runs of homozygosity and hapROH-based Ne estimates), they show a deep, previously unrecognised genetic continuity in the region over roughly 8,000 years.
Rather than a history of large-scale population replacement, the genomic evidence points to long-term local persistence, punctuated by a few detectable admixture events with neighbouring populations. The authors report stable effective population-size signals over the last two and a half millennia and detail their radiocarbon and archaeological contexts. They also provide links to where genotype data, aligned sequences and analysis code can be accessed.
Context and relevance
This work matters because it refines our understanding of the peopling and population dynamics of the Southern Cone. Whereas some regions show repeated replacements or large migrations, central Argentina here appears to host a long-lived local lineage — a pattern that reshapes regional models of mobility, interaction and demographic change in South America. The finding complements and contrasts with palaeogenomic results from the Andes, Patagonia and coastal societies, emphasising fine-scale regional heterogeneity in ancient American population history.
For archaeologists, geneticists and historians, the study supplies well-dated genomic points that tie demographic signals to archaeological contexts, and it strengthens the case for incorporating localised continuity into broader narratives of Indigenous population history in South America.
Why should I read this?
Short version — if you care about how the Americas were peopled and whether ancient communities were wiped out, replaced or persisted, this is the paper you want to skim (or actually read). It’s a neat, data-rich demonstration that not all regions experienced dramatic turnover: central Argentina kept a distinctive lineage for millennia. Plus, the authors make their data and code available, so you can dig into the numbers yourself.