Researchers have analyzed the (abstract here) HVR1 (hypervariable region 1) of the mtDNA control region belonging to an ancient female skeleton. The skeleton, approximately 3,600 years old, was discovered in 1980 in a frozen Neolithic grave in northeastern
Sequencing of a 377-base pair fragment (16015-16391) revealed three mutations; C16223T, T16298C, and C16327T. These mutations are characteristic of haplogroup C in Siberian and Asian populations.
A recent study by has characterized an allele that is present in all Native American populations tested.The allele, 9RA (9 repeat-allele) is a 9 tetranucleotide repeat allele composed of 275 bp at autosomal (meaning non-sex chromosome) microsatellite locus D9S1120 (on chromosome 9).Microsatellites are small DNA repeats that are typically neutral and are often used as molecular markers for population studies.According to the report, 9RA was found at an average percentage of roughly 30% among all the populations.
Although 9RA was found among Chukchi and the Koryaks of Western Beringia (on the eastern edge of Siberia), the allele was not identified in the large number of Asian populations tested (perhaps because this is a mutation that arose in populations as they approached the land bridge or because the sample size was not big enough to detect it).
I recently highlighted an article published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology entitled “Genetic analysis of early holocene skeletal remains from Alaska and its implications for the settlement of the America”.
I thought it might be interesting to ask one of the authors, Dr. Brian M. Kemp, his thoughts on the relationship between genetic genealogy and anthropological research, the future of Native American anthropology, and how he entered the field. Dr. Kemp, who is currently doing a post-doc at Vanderbilt University, was kind enough to share some of his valuable time.
Will genetic testing of the public through companies such as Family Tree DNA and Oxford Ancestors have any impact on the study of anthropology?
“Well, it certainly places anthropologists in an important position of helping the general public contextualize the results of such testing.Some of the major issues that have surfaced, and will continue to do so, from the recent fascination of genetic ancestry are those of race, evolution, and identity.These are topics of long-standing interest to anthropologists.It is my hope that the proliferation of genetic ancestry tests will cause the general public to become more interested in anthropology and human evolution in general.”
Is ancient DNA the best source of data for determining the spread of Native American populations into and throughout the Americas? What other sources of information might shed light on the topic?