Direct Dates and mtDNA of Late Pleistocene Human Skeletons from South America: A Comment on Chatters et al. (2014)

Abstract

In a recent paper in the journal Science (2014, Vol. 344, pp. 750–754), J. Chatters et al. present a new early human skeleton from the Yucatan, Mexico, considering it in the context of eight other early “Paleoamerican” individuals—all from North America—that previously yielded ancient genetic evidence and/or direct radiocarbon ages. Despite including the archaeological site of Monte Verde II, Chile, in their discussion, we were alarmed that the authors otherwise ignored the South American record, presenting a map with the southern continent being devoid of PaleoAmerican human remains. We felt it important to remind our colleagues that South America has produced numerous directly dated human skeletal remains that are as old as the ones cited by Chatters et al. for North America, and that several of these have actually yielded mitochondrial (mt) DNA. Significant implications can be derived from this radiocarbon, bioanthropological, and mtDNA dataset, especially considering the antiquity of the earliest human populations and process of peopling of the New World.