Using mitochondrial DNA, scientists investigated the genetic links of West Asians, Japanese, and Native Americans. An article about this was published in Cell Reports.
“The Asian origins of Native Americans are more complex than previously thought,” says Yu Chun Li, a biological anthropologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “We show that in addition to the ancestral sources previously described in Siberia, Australasia, and Southeast Asia, northern coastal China also contributes to the Native American gene pool.”
While it has long been assumed that Native Americans were descended from Siberians who crossed the Bering Isthmus, more and more genetic evidence indicates multiple waves of migration. The authors of the new study analyzed more than 100,000 modern and 15,000 ancient DNA samples from all over Eurasia. By comparing the accumulated mutations, geographic location, and age of each of these individuals whose lifetimes were known through carbon dating, the researchers were able to trace the branching path of the lineage. They identified two cases of migration from the north coast of China to the Americas, and in both cases they believe the passengers were probably sailing along the Pacific coast and not crossing the isthmus that might not have crossed by then.
The first split of genetic lineages occurred between 19,500 and 26,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum, when conditions in northern China were probably unfavorable for humans. The second split occurred 19,000-11,500 years ago during the next molt period. During this time there was a rapid increase in population, possibly due to the improvement in climate, which may have spurred the spread to other geographic areas.
Researchers also found an unexpected genetic link between Native Americans and Japanese. During the thaw period, one of the groups of people left the northern coast of China and went to Japan.
According to the authors, this will help explain the similarities among the indigenous inhabitants of the North Pacific region.
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