On the peopling of the Americas: molecular evidence for the Paleoamerican and the Solutrean models

Abstract

AbstractMorphological and archaeological studies suggest that the Americas were first occupied by non-Mongoloids with Australo-Melanesian traits (the Paleoamerican model), which was subsequently followed by Southwest Europeans coming in along the pack ice of the North Atlantic Ocean (the Solutrean model) and by East Asians and Siberians arriving by way of the Bering Strait. Past DNA studies, however, have produced different accounts. With a better understanding of genetic diversity, we have now reinterpreted public DNA data. Consistent with our recent finding of a close relationship between South Pacific populations and Denisovans or Neanderthals who were archaic Africans with Eurasian admixtures, the ∼9500 year old Kennewick Man skeleton with Australo-Melanesian affinity from North America was about equally related to Europeans and Africans, least related to East Asians among present-day people, and most related to the ∼42000 year old Neanderthal Mezmaiskaya-2 from Adygea Russia among ancient Eurasian DNAs. The ∼12700 year old Anzick-1 of the Clovis culture was most related to the ∼18720 year old El Miron of the Magdalenian culture in Spain among ancient DNAs. Amerindian mtDNA haplotypes, unlike their Eurasian sister haplotypes, share informative SNPs with Australo-Melanesians, Africans, or Neanderthals. These results suggest a unifying account of informative findings on the settlement of the Americas.