Ancestor of All Native Americans Identified

Scientists have sequenced the full genome of a Native American boy who lived in present-day Montana 12,600 years ago. They claim that his genome links his culture, the Clovis culture, is the ancestor for all other Native American populations. His genome also establishes a clear link between this ancestor, the Clovis culture, and East Asian cultures. This discovery supports the claim that Native Americans entered North America via the Bering Straight land bridge during the Ice Age.

The Clovis culture is widely considered one of the oldest Native American cultures. It developed 12,600 to 13,000 years ago in the American Northwest. During that time period, present-day Canada was covered with glaciers, and present-day Montana and Idaho were the northernmost land masses not covered in ice.