A lineage of females originating from northern coastal China and migrating to the Americas has been traced by scientists through the use of mitochondrial DNA, who have also identified evidence of two distinct migrations. One was during the last Ice Age and another following the subsequent melting period, along with an additional branch of migration to Japan around the same time as the latter.
Scientists believe it could potentially explain the similarities in Paleolithic cultures across the Americas, China, and Japan. The findings of the study, titled "Mitogenome evidence shows two radiation events and dispersals of matrilineal ancestry from northern coastal China to the Americas and Japan," have been published in the May 9th issue of Cell Reports.
Multiple Humans Went to the Americas From Eurasia
The findings of the study suggest that the genetic ancestry of Native Americans is more diverse and complex than previous assumptions. Although the genetic ancestry of Native Americans has been a topic of debate for years, it is only now that new research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences reveals its complicated nature than previously thought.
First author Yu-Chun Li, a molecular anthropologist, stated that Northern coastal China was also a significant contributor to the gene pool of Native Americans, adding to previously identified ancestral sources in Australo-Melanesia, Siberia, and Southeast Asia.
Scientists long assumed that Siberians crossed over the Bering Strait's land bridge into the Americas. According to Science Daily,emerging genetic, geological, and archeological data shows that many waves of people migrated to the Americas from different areas of Eurasia.
To better understand the history of Native Americans, the researchers used mitochondrial DNA to trace the lineage of an ancestral lineage that could link East Asian Paleolithic-age populations to founding populations in South and North America.
The researchers examined more than 100,000 contemporary and 15,000 ancient DNA samples from across Eurasia to identify 216 contemporary and 39 ancient individuals belonging to the rare lineage. They discovered two migration events from northern coastal China to the Americas, with travelers likely arriving in America via the Pacific coast.
The initial migration took place between 19,500 and 26,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum, when northern China was most likely hostile to people.
The second migration occurred between 19,000 and 11,500 years ago, during the ensuing melting era, when there was a fast increase in human populations due to the improving climate, which may have led to expansion into other regions.
Unexpected Link Between the Americans and Japanese People
The researchers believe that both migrations from northern coastal China to the Americas were carried out by seafarers who traveled along the Pacific coast since the inland ice-free corridor was not yet open. Yet, they found a surprising genetic connection between Japanese individuals and Native Americans
Yahoo! News reported that, during the second migration, a subgroup branched out from northern coastal China to Japan, which could explain the Paleolithic archeological similarities among ancient people in the Americas, China, and Japan.
Despite the strength of the study in terms of the number of samples discovered, the researchers could not identify the specific place in northern coastal China where the expansion occurred or the events that led to these migrations. Therefore, further evidence, particularly ancient genomes, is required to address these questions.
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