A groundbreaking paleogenomic study published in Nature Genetics Research has identified a unique "ghost lineage" among the early inhabitants of the North American Great Lakes region. By sequencing the DNA of 12,000-year-old skeletal remains, researchers discovered a genetic signature that diverges significantly from the known Clovis and Beringian populations, suggesting a far more complex migratory landscape than previously modeled.
The study indicates that this lineage likely survived in isolated refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum before spreading eastward. This genetic data provides the first evidence of a sustained, isolated population that contributed to the ancestral makeup of several modern indigenous groups in the northeastern United States and Canada, challenging the "single-pulse" migration theory of the Americas.