The descendants of the ancient people of Lagoa Santa are alive today.

They are the Indigenous communities of Brazil — Tupí, Macro-Jê, and others — whose historical and cultural connections to the region go back across the millennia that the ancient DNA research is attempting to characterize.

Those communities have interests in how their ancestors are studied, how the findings are communicated, and how the science is used — or misused — in public discourse about Indigenous identity and rights.

The scientific community’s obligation to those communities goes beyond merely avoiding the most egregious misrepresentations.