The genetic prehistory of the New World Arctic
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
The New World Arctic, the last region of the Americas to be populated by humans, has a relatively well-researched archaeology, but an understanding of its genetic history is lacking. We present genome-wide sequence data from ancient and present-day humans from Greenland, Arctic Canada, Alaska, Aleutian Islands, and Siberia. We show that Paleo-Eskimos (~3000 BCE to 1300 CE) represent a migration pulse into the Americas independent of both Native American and Inuit expansions. Furthermore, the genetic continuity characterizing the Paleo-Eskimo period was interrupted by the arrival of a new population, representing the ancestors of present-day Inuit, with evidence of past gene flow between these lineages. Despite periodic abandonment of major Arctic regions, a single Paleo-Eskimo metapopulation likely survived in near-isolation for more than 4000 years, only to vanish around 700 years ago.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Science |
Volume | 345 |
Issue number | 6200 |
Number of pages | 9 |
ISSN | 0036-8075 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
- Alaska, Arctic Regions, Base Sequence, Bone and Bones, Canada, DNA, Mitochondrial, Genome, Human, Greenland, Hair, History, Ancient, Human Migration, Humans, Inuits, Molecular Sequence Data, Siberia, Survivors, Tooth
Research areas
ID: 125945777