Introduction
The question of how the Americas were first populated has long fascinated archaeologists and geneticists alike. The prevailing hypothesis suggests that humans migrated from northeast Asia through Beringia—an ancient land bridge that once connected Siberia and Alaska—during the Last Glacial Maximum, approximately 20,000 years ago. Yet this theory has often been debated, with alternative models proposing trans-Pacific or even trans-Atlantic migrations.
Recent breakthroughs in paleogenomics have allowed researchers to analyze the DNA of ancient individuals from both Siberia and the Americas. These findings, when combined with formal modeling using tools like G25 PCA and genetic distance calculations, strongly support the Beringian hypothesis. Furthermore, the earliest individuals in the Americas consistently exhibit a dual ancestry: one deeply rooted in East Asia and another tracing back to Ancient North Eurasians (ANE), a population once spread across Ice Age Siberia.
This article draws on genomic data from three major studies—Moreno-Mayar et al., 2018, Lindo et al., 2022, and Nakatsuka et al., 2023—and on G25 coordinate analysis to trace the ancestral path of the first Americans.
1. Ancient North Eurasians: The Genetic Legacy of Siberia
The Ancient North Eurasians (ANE) were first identified through the genome of a 24,000-year-old boy from Mal’ta (MA-1), near Lake Baikal. This individual had no close affinity with East Asians, yet his genetic legacy persists in both Native Americans and some populations in Central Asia and Europe.
Subsequent studies found ANE ancestry in ancient individuals from Beringia, such as USR1 (Upward Sun River, Alaska, ~11,500 BP), and in early South American genomes. This implies that the ANE component entered the Americas with the very first migrants, blending with East Asian-like lineages prior to the crossing.
2. Evidence from G25 Coordinates
We compiled G25 coordinates of ancient individuals from North and South America, including:
-
USA_Spirit_Cave (~11,000 BP)
-
BRA_Lapa_do_Santo (~9,600 BP)
-
Brazil_Sumidouro (~10,000 BP)
-
USA_Trail_Creek (~9,000 BP)
-
Canada_BigBar (~5,700 BP)
-
Chile_Ayayema (~5,100 BP)
-
Argentina_Aconcagua (Inca period)
These individuals were compared with reference populations such as Nganassan (Siberian), Han (East Asian), and Yamnaya or MA-1 (ANE proxies).
G25 Example: Lapa do Santo (Brazil, 9600 BP)
Multiple admixture models based on Lapa do Santo yield a consistent result: this early South American individual carries:
-
>90% Native American-like ancestry
-
~1–5% Nganassan or Han-like ancestry
-
~1–4% ANE-related signal (e.g., Yamnaya)
Example result:
BRA_LapaDoSanto_9600BP: 72.2% | Nganassan: 11.7% | Han: 8.4% | Yamnaya_RUS_Samara: 4.4% | Shahr_I_Sokhta_BA2: 1.7%
Even deep in South America, the ANE/Siberian signal persists—pointing to a shared origin upstream of the Americas, likely in northeast Asia.
3. Ancient North-South Continuity
The genomic continuity between northern and southern ancient individuals is striking. Spirit Cave (Nevada) and Sumidouro Cave (Brazil) are separated by thousands of kilometers and millennia, yet their PCA coordinates cluster closely, and they share similar ancestral components.
This supports the idea of a rapid and early dispersal of a genetically homogeneous population from Beringia all the way to South America, within a few thousand years.
Furthermore, Trail Creek (Alaska) and Big Bar (British Columbia) show clear genetic continuity with more southern samples, bridging the gap between Asia and the American interior.
4. Haplogroups and Uniparental Evidence
Uniparental markers (mtDNA and Y-DNA) further confirm the Beringian migration:
-
Ancient individuals from Spirit Cave, Anzick-1 (Montana), and Lagoa Santa (Brazil) carry mitochondrial haplogroups such as C1, B2, and D4h3a, all of which are found in East Asia and the Americas, but absent in Europe.
-
Y-DNA haplogroups in early samples include Q1a, a lineage strongly associated with Siberian populations and the Native American founding lineages.
These markers align perfectly with autosomal data, reinforcing the conclusion that the first Americans were Siberian-derived.
Conclusion: The Beringian Story Confirmed
The genomic evidence leaves little room for doubt: the Americas were populated by a population stemming from northeast Asia, bearing a dual East Asian and Ancient North Eurasian heritage. They crossed Beringia over 15,000 years ago, possibly paused in a "Beringian standstill," and then rapidly dispersed throughout the continent.
Even in the most ancient South American genomes, the ANE/Siberian signal persists, showing that this genetic legacy was not diluted by later waves—but was foundational to the very first Americans.
The Beringian hypothesis is not only plausible—it is now genomically proven.
For those interested in further analysis or visualization, here are the G25 coordinates of the samples:
Copy
Canada_BigBar_5700BP.SG:19651_noUDG.SG,0.052359,-0.311768,0.106348,0.085272,-0.09848,-0.013108,-0.198584,-0.240682,-0.005113,-0.013121,-0.002923,-0.004346,-0.003271,-0.003028,-0.008958,0.001061,0.001173,-0.000253,0.006159,0.016633,0.00574,-0.006801,0.003697,0.005543,0.006107
Chile_WesternArchipelago_Ayayema_5100BP.SG:A460_noUDG.SG,0.048944,-0.311768,0.114645,0.093993,-0.118484,-0.01757,-0.285773,-0.34037,-0.015135,-0.015126,0.001299,-0.006444,0.00223,0.019542,-0.0076,0.009149,0.007562,0.001267,0.006159,0.003627,0.000499,0.006677,0.002095,0.00012,0.001557
Argentina_Aconcagua_Inca_500BP.SG:Aconcagua_noUDG.SG,0.054635,-0.317861,0.123696,0.099161,-0.115098,-0.013666,-0.307864,-0.374061,-0.016975,-0.012757,0.001137,-0.000599,-0.000595,0.022708,-0.005972,0.006895,0.000782,-0.004054,0.00993,-0.001876,-0.004742,0.010263,0.001479,0.00494,-0.00455
USA_Nevada_SpiritCave_11000BP.SG:AHUR_2064_noUDG.SG,0.047806,-0.319892,0.122941,0.097869,-0.108328,-0.01506,-0.280368,-0.32814,-0.012885,-0.020046,-0.003085,0.004946,-0.001041,0.01913,-0.008686,0.004906,0.003781,0.00076,0.004148,0.005378,0.007237,-0.001855,0.001109,0.001205,-0.001317
USA_Spirit_Cave_11000BP:AHUR770c,0.063741,-0.320907,0.117285,0.095285,-0.10125,-0.006414,-0.283893,-0.331832,-0.024134,-0.019864,-0.008931,0.004196,-0.005054,0.03702,-0.011265,-0.007027,0.000522,-0.00114,0.007542,0.005002,-0.013476,-0.000495,-0.012078,0.011206,0.001437
India_GreatAndaman_100BP.SG:Andaman_noUDG.SG,-0.022765,-0.232556,-0.131615,0.10013,0.028928,-0.008367,-0.021621,-0.001385,0.059107,0.023326,0.020623,0.002398,-0.002676,0.003991,-0.021987,-0.008618,0.008866,-0.002914,-0.001508,0.027263,-0.007487,0.008532,-0.012325,-0.001084,0.000479
USA_Nevada_LovelockCave_1850BP.SG:Lovelock1_noUDG.SG,0.054635,-0.314814,0.120301,0.087533,-0.115714,-0.011992,-0.268852,-0.323756,-0.016362,-0.021686,-0.000487,0.002398,0.012785,0.010184,-0.007329,0.000928,0.005215,-0.003674,0.004777,-0.001251,0.002246,-0.004699,-0.000616,0.003253,0.002874
USA_Nevada_LovelockCave_1850BP.SG:Lovelock2_noUDG.SG,0.05122,-0.325985,0.11917,0.087856,-0.114175,-0.01757,-0.269087,-0.318679,-0.007976,-0.02041,-0.002923,-0.001798,-0.001338,0.015551,-0.009365,0.001326,0.017732,0.0019,0.002514,0.000625,-0.007986,0.001484,0.000739,-0.004097,0.0097
USA_Nevada_LovelockCave_600BP.SG:Lovelock3_noUDG.SG,0.05122,-0.327,0.121433,0.093347,-0.113867,-0.018128,-0.270027,-0.328371,-0.010226,-0.021504,-0.000162,-0.001199,0.005352,0.020093,-0.008279,0.007425,0.001956,-0.002407,0.001508,0.004127,-0.00574,0.004946,0.001972,-0.001566,0.006107
USA_Nevada_LovelockCave_1850BP.SG:Lovelock4_noUDG.SG,0.05122,-0.321923,0.115776,0.084303,-0.12033,-0.011992,-0.260157,-0.309679,-0.014726,-0.018224,0.000487,-0.006294,-0.0055,0.020093,-0.007736,-0.007955,0.010431,0.000633,0.006411,-0.000625,0.00836,-0.002844,0.00037,0.003494,-0.001557
Chile_PuntaSantaAna_7300BP.SG:SA5832_noUDG.SG,0.045529,-0.307705,0.123318,0.097223,-0.118176,-0.015618,-0.282953,-0.340832,-0.015135,-0.013485,-0.005846,-0.002398,-0.001041,0.027937,-0.00475,0.002652,-0.000913,0.000127,0.005154,0.005503,-0.005116,0.000618,0.001356,0.000723,0.000239
Brazil_Sumidouro_10100BP.SG:Sumidouro4_noUDG.SG,0.045529,-0.291457,0.113136,0.089471,-0.102788,-0.015897,-0.260862,-0.311064,-0.009613,-0.01385,0.008931,-0.002847,-0.001933,0.024634,-0.004886,0.004773,0.009518,0,0.005405,-0.003377,-0.006489,0.010881,-0.007518,0.000361,-0.002994
Brazil_Sumidouro_10400BP.SG:Sumidouro5_noUDG.SG,0.046667,-0.294504,0.112382,0.101099,-0.107405,-0.024542,-0.286243,-0.338524,-0.011862,-0.009294,0.006658,-0.001499,-0.005946,0.020781,-0.0076,0.005967,0.004042,-0.004687,-0.003142,-0.002001,0.003993,0.001484,0.001972,-0.001807,0.000838
Brazil_Sumidouro_10100BP.SG:Sumidouro6_noUDG.SG,0.050082,-0.286379,0.111251,0.086241,-0.098172,-0.020359,-0.268147,-0.321679,-0.014317,-0.017312,0.004872,-0.004046,-0.000595,0.015276,-0.005429,0.00769,0.009127,-0.00038,0.002263,0.002626,-0.002371,0.005935,-0.001849,-0.00735,-0.001437
Brazil_Sumidouro_10200BP.SG:Sumidouro7_noUDG.SG,0.048944,-0.290441,0.107479,0.092378,-0.103712,-0.029284,-0.269792,-0.322602,-0.013703,-0.016583,0.00406,-0.000899,0.00446,0.016102,-0.000543,0.008751,0.001695,0.008742,-0.005279,-0.001126,0.00262,-0.004081,-0.00986,-0.002289,0.002395
Brazil_Sumidouro_9800BP.SG:Sumidouro8_noUDG.SG,0.059188,-0.279271,0.11389,0.105622,-0.11756,-0.013387,-0.275432,-0.323294,-0.005931,-0.016219,0.005521,0.001199,0.005649,0.014588,0.007736,0.004773,0.011735,0.000253,0.00176,0.001501,0.004617,-0.002844,-0.01023,-0.007109,0.017004
USA_Alaska_TrailCreek_9000BP.SG:TrailCreek_noUDG.SG,0.030732,-0.287395,0.085229,0.091732,-0.078784,-0.011992,-0.11257,-0.131071,-0.002863,-0.024055,-0.002273,-0.007044,0.005054,-0.011698,0.004479,0.003447,-0.000913,-0.005448,0.005782,0.01038,-0.01148,0.001731,0.009244,0.005784,-0.006347
Get My Report