Two studies published in the journal
Nature on Wednesday attempt to shed light on the genetic origins of American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Native peoples in the Americas.
According to one study, a group called "
Paleo-Eskimos" contributed significantly to the ancestry of today's Inuit, Yup’ik and Aleut populations in Canada and the United States. Previously, scientists thought this
group had been replaced by subsequent Native populations but a new DNA analysis leads them to the updated conclusion.
The analysis -- which was conducted in part with the involvement of tribes in Alaska -- also shows
that Paleo-Eskimos are well represented in the DNA of Native populations who speak
Athabaskan languages. This includes the Dine and Apache peoples in the U.S., along with speakers of other Na-Dene languages in Alaska and in Canada.
“For the last seven years, there has been a debate about whether Paleo-Eskimos contributed genetically to people living in North America today; our study resolves this debate and furthermore supports the theory that Paleo-Eskimos spread Na-Dene languages,” David Reich of Harvard Medical School and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute said in a
press release accompanying the study.
Specifically, researchers worked with Athabaskan-speaking tribes in Alaska to study the DNA from three ancestors buried at the
Tochak McGrath site at the present-day
Native Village of McGrath. The results showed a strong connection to the Paleo-Eskimos, according to the analysis.
"We found that these individuals, who lived after the time when the Paleo-Eskimo archaeological culture disappeared across North America, are well modeled as a mixture of the same two ancestry components as those found in Athabaskans today, and derived more than 40% of their ancestry from Paleo-Eskimos," said Reich.
The study is
Palaeo-Eskimo genetic ancestry and the peopling of Chukotka and North America, Nature, 2019; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1251-y.
The second study was less inclusive of a Native viewpoint, as it was based on remains found in the Siberian region of Russia. But Eske Willerslev, a leading DNA researcher who has
worked with tribes in the past, said the results uncovered a "missing link of Native American ancestry.”
In particular, one individual who lived 10,000 years ago shares a significant percentage of DNA with modern-day Native Americans, according to the analysis. Researchers are calling this person, who also draws ancestry from a previously unknown group, the closest relative to Native peoples ever found outside of the U.S.
“The remains are genetically very close to the ancestors of Paleo-Siberian speakers and close to the ancestors of Native Americans," said Willerslev.
Paleo-Siberian is a term used to describe a wide range of peoples, including the Chukchi, the Ket and the Nivkh.
"It is an important piece in the puzzle of understanding the ancestry of Native Americans," said Willerslev, who has previously worked with tribes in
Montana and the
Pacific Northwest on studies of their ancestors, including the
Kennewick
Man.
At the archaeological site known as Yana Rhinoceros Horn Site near the Yana River in Russia, Alla Mashezerskaya maps the artifacts in the area where two 31,000-year-old teeth were found. Photo: Elena Pavlova
As for the previously unknown group, Willerslev and his colleagues are calling them "Ancient North Siberians." They are represented by the discovery of teeth from children who lived 31,600 years ago.
Although Ancient North Siberians contributed to the ancestry of the person who lived 10,000 years ago, the group did not contribute to the ancestry of Native Americans, according to the study. The DNA extracted from the teeth -- reported to be from two boys -- is the oldest ever from Siberia.
The study is
The population history of northeastern Siberia since the Pleistocene, Nature, 2019; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1279-z.
Read More on the Story
Who Were the Ancestors of Native Americans? A Lost People in Siberia, Scientists Say
(The New York Times June 5, 2019)
Ancient Siberia was home to previously unknown humans, say scientists
(The Guardian June 5, 2019)
Ancient DNA Hints at the Genetic Lineage of Today’s Native Americans
(NOVA June 5, 2019)
DNA reveals Paleo-Eskimos majorly contributed to North American populations
(Earth.com June 5, 2019)
Complex Human Movements in Siberia, American Arctic Traced by Ancient DNA Studies
(GenomeWeb June 5, 2019)
Closest-known ancestor of today’s Native Americans found in Siberia
(Science Magazine June 5, 2019)
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