Early human dispersals within the Americas

J. Víctor Moreno-Mayar, Lasse Vinner, Peter de Barros Damgaard, Constanza de la Fuente, Morten E. Allentoft, Tharsika Vimala, Fernando Racimo, Simon Rasmussen, Ashot Margaryan, Miren Iraeta Orbegozo, Dorothea Mylopotamitaki, Verner Alexandersen, Charlotte Primeau, Kristian Gregersen, Kasper Lykke Hansen, Niels Lynnerup, Kurt Kjær, Hannes Schroeder, Anna Sapfo Malaspinas, Martin SikoraRasmus Nielsen, Eske Willerslev

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

212 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Studies of the peopling of the Americas have focused on the timing and number of initial migrations. Less attention has been paid to the subsequent spread of people within the Americas. We sequenced 15 ancient human genomes spanning from Alaska to Patagonia; six are ≥10,000 years old (up to ~18× coverage). All are most closely related to Native Americans, including those from an Ancient Beringian individual and two morphologically distinct "Paleoamericans." We found evidence of rapid dispersal and early diversification that included previously unknown groups as people moved south. This resulted in multiple independent, geographically uneven migrations, including one that provides clues of a Late Pleistocene Australasian genetic signal, as well as a later Mesoamerican-related expansion. These led to complex and dynamic population histories from North to South America.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbereaav2621
JournalScience (New York, N.Y.)
Volume362
Issue number6419
Pages (from-to)1, 1-11
Number of pages12
ISSN0036-8075
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Dec 2018

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