Windover: 8,000-year-old brain tissue, DNA recovered, no whole genome reported (Titusville, Florida; 1986–1994)

SUMMARYWindover: 8,000-year-old brain tissue, DNA recovered, no whole genome reported (Titusville, Florida; 1986–1994) [Connections: Genetics (honest), Nov 5, 2026]

RECORDDoran, Dickel, Ballinger, Agee, Laipis and Hauswirth, "Anatomical, cellular and molecular analysis of 8,000-yr-old human brain tissue from the Windover archaeological site," Nature 323:803–806 (30 Oct. 1986): skeletal remains of at least 40 individuals at that time, radiocarbon-dated to about 7,790–8,290 years before present, with human DNA recovered from preserved brain tissue. Later work: Hauswirth et al., "Interpopulation and intrapopulation studies of ancient humans," Experientia 50(6):585–591 (1994). Wikipedia's summary of the literature: some mitochondrial types "were clearly related to types found among living Indigenous peoples of the Americas," others more distantly; the studies examined "selected genes and short sections of DNA rather than complete genomes." Burial counts are given as 168 to 177

PATTERNthe Southeast's best-preserved ancient people were tested early with 1980s–90s tools, and their maternal lines point to the Indigenous Americas. No full genome usable as a reference panel turned up

LENS (WW9)Tito's method (P183a) is the right design: the people in the ground as the control. Windover is the obvious candidate, and it is the nations' decision (next card)

OPENneeds deep research: whether any Windover genome-wide data has been published since 1994, and the exact haplogroups (no fetched page named them)

SOURCEDoran et al. 1986, Nature; Hauswirth et al. 1994 citation; Wikipedia, Windover Archeological Site.