

DNA uncovers mystery migration to the Americas - Thevet
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33612869

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comrade1
There was a significant population bottleneck after the europeans reached
north/south america. Nearly all native americans died, and then their
population rebounded again (but not fully).

A lot of research like this makes an assumption that the genetics of modern
native americans are close to pre-columbus genetics but that is almost
certainly not the case.

When I was in graduate school I got a smithsonian fellowship to study the
feasibility of amplifying dna from pre-columbus incan bones (they left their
dead above ground on a plateau and so no contamination from tannins from the
soil). I showed the dna could successfully be amplified.

I then left science and I'm not sure where the research went after that.

~~~
jcranmer
It should also be noted that Polynesians very likely had pre-Columbian contact
with South America; it's the most plausible explanation for how the sweet
potato (a South American indigenous crop) became a Polynesian staple, even if
there is a stunning lack of cultural or archaeological evidence for the
theory.

~~~
pcrh
The linked article indeed provides genetic evidence for pre-Colombian
Polynesian migrations to S. America.

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pcrh
"Archaic" Austronesians, Malays, Polyesians, etc, were remarkable sea-goers.
Not only did they populate Madagascar from Borneo, it now appears that they
populated South America as well... mind boggling.

Previous data on the matter:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Migraciones_austronesias....](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Migraciones_austronesias.png)

~~~
carterehsmith
True. And they somehow managed to get to the Easter Island. And from there,
the nearest continental point is in Chile. So, seafaring seems like a
plausible way for Austronesians to reach South America. Going over Siberia
appears unlikely - you got seafaring people used to tropical climates (they
never saw snow or ice) suddenly dropping the seafaring stuff and becoming
winter-hardy and walking all the way across Siberia and then down the North
America... quite a stretch.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Island)

