Bolivian Tsimané and Tanzanian Hadza Share Similar Gut Microbiomes

Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara and Stanford University found that the Tsimané people of lowland Bolivia and the Hadza people of Tanzania share highly diverse and similar gut microbiomes, Archaeology Magazine reported on October 9, 2026. The findings rest on a statement released by the University of California, Santa Barbara. [1]

According to Archaeology Magazine, the analysis revealed that the forager-farmer Tsimané and the hunter-gatherer Hadza share more than 1,200 bacterial species. The report noted that more than 60 percent of these shared bacterial species are rare or absent in the microbiomes of individuals living in industrialized populations. [1]

The human microbiome is the aggregate of all microbiota, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, and viruses, that reside on or within human tissues and biofluids, such as the gastrointestinal tract. In genomics, the term is also used to refer to the collective genomes of these resident microorganisms. [3]

The research highlights biological connections between populations residing in South America and Africa. South America is located entirely in the Western Hemisphere, while Africa is the second-largest and second-most populous continent in the world. [1][4][5]