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Ancient genomes reveal three major migrations that reshaped northeastern Siberia over 40,000 years.
This study analyzed 34 ancient genomes from far northeastern Siberia, including 31,600-year-old milk teeth from Yana RHS. It shows that the region was repeatedly settled and replaced: first by Ancient North Siberians, then by Ancient Paleosiberians linked to Native American ancestors, and finally by Neosiberians related to modern Siberians. These waves created a highly dynamic population history.
- The earliest known inhabitants were Ancient North Siberians (ANS), represented by the 31.6 kya Yana RHS individuals, who split from Western Eurasians around 38 kya.
- Between 20 and 11 kya, ANS were largely replaced by East Asian-related peoples who gave rise to Ancient Paleosiberians and ancestral Native Americans.
- Between 11 and 4 kya, Ancient Paleosiberians were largely replaced by Neosiberians from East Asia, with later gene flow across the Bering Strait affecting Inuit and Na Dene speakers.
Sample interpretation
The site sample count is 21, with 13 Y-chromosome lineages resolved. Cultures include Ekven_IA (4), Yana_UP (2), UstBelaya_EBA (2), Uelen_IA (2), DevilsCave_N (2), and others. Y haplogroups are mostly Q (Q-Z36017, Q-Y4303, Q-BZ2222) and P (P-FT344715, P-FT344716), plus N-M1991, H-Y19966, and C-F15910. Mitochondrial DNA includes D4m, D4b1a2a1, U2'3'4'7'8'9, A2a, A2b1, and D4.
For genealogy enthusiasts
For ancestry enthusiasts, this confirms northeastern Siberia as a key region for understanding Native American and Siberian origins. It highlights repeated population replacement and Beringian gene flow, showing that ancient DNA can trace complex migrations even in poorly documented areas.
Abstract
Far northeastern Siberia has been occupied by humans for more than 40 thousand years. Yet, owing to a scarcity of early archaeological sites and human remains, its population history and relationship to ancient and modern populations across Eurasia and the Americas are poorly understood. Here, we analyze 34 ancient genome sequences, including two from fragmented milk teeth found at the ~31.6 thousand-year-old (kya) Yana RHS site, the earliest and northernmost Pleistocene human remains found. These genomes reveal complex patterns of past population admixture and replacement events throughout northeastern Siberia, with evidence for at least three large-scale human migrations into the region. The first inhabitants, a previously unknown population of “Ancient North Siberians” (ANS), represented by Yana RHS, diverged ~38 kya from Western Eurasians, soon after the latter split from East Asians. Between 20 and 11 kya, the ANS population was largely replaced by peoples with ancestry related to present-day East Asians, giving rise to ancestral Native Americans and “Ancient Paleosiberians” (AP), represented by a 9.8 kya skeleton from Kolyma River. AP are closely related to the Siberian ancestors of Native Americans, and ancestral to contemporary communities such as Koryaks and Itelmen. Paleoclimatic modelling shows evidence for a refuge during the last glacial maximum (LGM) in southeastern Beringia, suggesting Beringia as a possible location for the admixture forming both ancestral Native Americans and AP. Between 11 and 4 kya, AP were in turn largely replaced by another group of peoples with ancestry from East Asia, the “Neosiberians” from which many contemporary Siberians derive. We detect gene flow events in both directions across the Bering Strait during this time, influencing the genetic composition of Inuit, as well as Na Dene-speaking Northern Native Americans, whose Siberian-related ancestry components is closely related to AP. Our analyses reveal that the population history of northeastern Siberia was highly dynamic throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The pattern observed in northeastern Siberia, with earlier, once widespread populations being replaced by distinct peoples, seems to have taken place across northern Eurasia, as far west as Scandinavia.