Date:

Study reveals 10,000 years of genetic continuity in northwest North America

A study of the DNA in ancient skeletal remains adds to the evidence that indigenous groups living today in southern Alaska and the western coast of British Columbia are descendants of the first humans to make their home in northwest North America more than 10,000 years ago.

“Our analysis suggests that this is the same population living in this part of the world over time, so we have genetic continuity from 10,000 years ago to the present,” said University of Illinois anthropology professor Ripan Malhi, who led the study with University of Chicago postdoctoral researcher John Lindo; Penn State University biology professor Michael DeGiorgio; Rosita Worl, the director of the Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau, Alaska; and University of Oklahoma anthropology professor Brian M. Kemp.

- Advertisement -

The findings, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also suggest that these early American peoples had a complex population history, the researchers report.

The new work comes on the heels of earlier studies of ancient Americans that focused on mitochondrial DNA, which occurs outside the nucleus of cells and is passed only from mothers to their offspring.

Researchers are analyzing DNA from ancient individuals found in southeast Alaska, coastal British Columbia, Washington state and Montana. A new genetic analysis of some of these human remains finds that many of today’s indigenous peoples living in the same regions are descendants of ancient individuals dating to at least 10,300 years ago. CREDIT : Graphic by Julie McMahon, University of Illinois

“Mitochondrial DNA just traces the maternal line – your mother’s mother’s lineage – so, you’re missing information about all of these other ancestors,” said Lindo, the first author on the paper. “We wanted to analyze the nuclear genome so we could get a better assessment of the population history of this region.”

The team looked at genomic data from Shuká Káa (Tlingit for “Man Before Us”), an ancient individual whose remains – found in a cave in southeastern Alaska – date to about 10,300 years ago. They also analyzed the genomes of three more individuals from the nearby coast of British Columbia whose remains date to between 6,075 and 1,750 years ago.

- Advertisement -

“Interestingly, the mitochondrial type that Shuká Káa belonged to was also observed from another ancient skeleton dated to about 6,000 years ago,” Kemp said. “It seems to disappear after that. The nuclear DNA suggests that this is probably not about population replacement, but rather chance occurrence through time. If a female has no children or only sons, the mitochondrial DNA is not passed to the next generation. As a male, Shuká Káa could not have passed on his own mitochondrial DNA; he must have had some maternal relatives that did so.”

The researchers turned their attention to nuclear DNA, which offers a more comprehensive record of a person’s ancestry.

“DNA from the mitochondria and Y chromosome provide unique yet sometimes conflicting stories, but the nuclear genome provides a more comprehensive view of past events,” DeGiorgio said.

“The data suggest that there were multiple genetic lineages in the Americas from at least 10,300 years ago,” Malhi said.

The descendants of some of those lineages are still living in the same region today, and a few are co-authors on the new study. Their participation is the result of a long-term collaboration between the scientists and several native groups who are embracing genomic studies as a way to learn from their ancestors, said Worl, who is Tlingit, Ch’áak’ (Eagle) moiety of the Shangukeidí­ (Thunderbird) Clan from the Kawdliyaayi Hít (House Lowered From the Sun) in Klukwan, Alaska.

“We supported DNA testing of Shuká Káa because we believed science ultimately would agree with what our oral traditions have always said – that we have lived in southeast Alaska since time immemorial. The initial analysis showed the young man was native, and now further studies are showing that our ancestral lineage stems from the first initial peopling of the region,” said Worl, who also is an anthropologist. “Science is corroborating our oral histories.”

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

- Advertisement -
spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

Significant archaeological discoveries near Inverness

Archaeologists have made several major discoveries at the site of the upcoming Old Petty Championship Golf Course at Cabot Highlands, near Inverness, Scotland.

Maya ritual offering found in Yucatán caves

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have recovered a globular ceramic pot in Zumpango Cave, part of the extensive Garra de Jaguar system.

Archaeologists find UAE’s first major Iron Age necropolis

The Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi has announced the discovery of the first major Iron Age necropolis in the United Arab Emirates.

Ramses III inscription discovered in Jordan’s Wadi Rum

Jordan’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has announced the discovery of an inscription bearing the seal of Ramses III in the Wadi Rum Reserve, Jordan.

Prince’s royal tomb discovered in Saqqara 

An archaeological mission led by Dr. Zahi Hawass has discovered the tomb of Prince Waser-If-Re, the son of King Userkaf, founder of Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty.

Artefacts from Genghis Khan era rediscovered

Researchers at the Siberian Federal University (SFU) have rediscovered a collection of artefacts from the era of Genghis Khan while cataloguing undocumented objects in the storerooms of the Kytmanov Yenisei Museum-Reserve.

Face to face with royalty: Skull may belong to King Matthias Corvinus

A skull unearthed in the ruins of Hungary’s former royal coronation site may belong to King Matthias Corvinus.

Ancient Egyptian settlement discovered near Alexandria

Archaeologists excavating at Kom el-Nugus west of Alexandria have discovered the remains of a New Kingdom settlement.