The Altai region in the South of Siberia is located in the heart of Russia. This small mountain region is now in the attention of researchers thanks to some new studies that suggest that native Americans originate in this remote region.
Genetic studies indicate the existence of a DNA mutation on both the population of Altai as well as on Native Americans. This DNA change happened 13 – 14,000 years ago when it seems that people started to travel, on ice, from Russia to America, crossing the Bering strait.
“Altai is a key area because it is a place where people come and live for thousands and thousands of years” Dr. Theodor Schurr said, from the Pennsylvania University. Among the prehistoric people that originate in the Altai region we can also find the native americans ancestors.
Starting around 20 – 25,000 years ago, these people transported their asian genetic heritage towards the remote areas of Siberia and later towards America.
“Our goal is to define these genetic links of Altai population with the Native Americans” Schurr said. Calculating how much time was needed for the appearance of these mutations, Schurr’s team estimated that the genetic line specific to the Altai region modified 13 – 14,000 years ago.
Although possible, and even likely, that multiple waves of population crossed from Russia to America, Schurr said that other researchers were unable to identify other genetic connections to establish the origin of the North American population with a higher degree of precision.
