Humans are one of the only species with a global distribution. The fascinating story of how this came to be is revealed through the archaeology of ancient migrations.  Perhaps the most impressive migration in human history was the Ice Age exploration and settlement of the Americas. In this talk, Rademaker will share results from his team’s archaeological research in extreme deserts and high-elevation mountain environments of the Peruvian Andes. Through extensive fieldwork exploring remote landscapes from the Pacific Ocean to the Andean plateau and excavation of sites in different ecological zones, the team discovered some of the highest Ice Age archaeological sites known in the world and some of the most ancient sites known in South America. Their study of artifacts and human skeletons has provided an unprecedented view of intrepid early South Americans - their ancestry, cultural and physiological adaptations, and social connections across a vast and complex landscape.