Scientists sequenced ancient Native American DNA, and this is where it led them

Using the DNA from the remains of an ancient child, scientists have been able to sequence a genome that may show exactly where the first humans in the Americas came from. This ancient child is a direct descendant of the original inhabitants of North America and was discovered in Alaska. Researchers are confident in their discovery, and they believe that they have pinpointed where exactly these people emigrated from.

Asian origins

For many years, scientists have had a theory that Native American tribes originated in Asia. They speculated that there was a land bridge between North America and Asia, but these were just theories until recently.

The DNA results showed a direct genetic link between this ancient child and the region of Beringia. The link was able to be traced back to at least 11,500 years ago. It shows that this child and other members of the tribe were directly descended from a group of people who inhabited the Beringia Land Bridge. This single, founding tribe is said to have been in the Beringia region around 36,000 years ago.

Although native americans have been present in the Americas for thousands of years, significant evidence shows ancestral ties to East Asia and Serbia. The DNA evidence uncovered in Alaska directly supports this theory.

Beringia

Beringia is a region off the east coast of Russia. It is underwater today, but paleo-environmentalists believe that this area was above sea level approximately 21,000 years ago. This region sits on the North American plate, and a few pieces of land are still above water. Several landmasses, including the Diomedes Islands and King Island, remain just above the surface.

Scientists believe that the Beringia land bridge was lost after the Last Glacial Maximum approximately 11,000 years ago.

Deglaciation during the last Ice Age caused a significant rise in sea levels and drastic global climate change. Before this occurred, scientists believe that inhabitants of the Beringia region crossed the land bridge into North America and gradually spread across the continent. Once the glacier melted and the sea levels rose, the first Americans were then cut off from their place of origin.

There is still much more genetic evidence to gather. Scientists speculate that further genetic flow from East Asia is yet to be found. However, the DNA findings thus far point to Ancient Berginians as being the first humans to set foot in North America.