DNA research has revealed that the Native (indigenous) American people came from a place called Altai in southern Siberia, Russia. Genetic markers, such as a specific and unique mutation on the Y chromosome (coming from the father), are shared by Native Americans and the people from the small mountainous region of Altai in Siberia. Mitochondrial DNA which is passed only by the mother also showed links between the two groups. The groups also show physical similarities.
The findings, which have been published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, estimate that groups of people migrated from Siberia to America around 13-14,000 years ago, when the Beringia land bridge existed.
The scientists took DNA samples of 2,500 Native Americans from the United States, Canada, and Mexico and DNA from almost 500 people who lived in remote areas of Altai.
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| Altai people in Siberia and a traditional dwelling |
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| A teepee of the Native American people, 1891 |
Books To Read
Into The Winderness, by Sara Donati. Historical romance on a grand scale.
