From the ArcaMax Publishing, Science & Technology Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/technology/s-378727-737405
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (UPI) -- A genetic study of native North Americans
offers insight into a smaller group's migration from the subarctic to
the Southwest United States, researchers said.
The University of Illinois study analyzed the Y chromosome, shedding
light on the history of male Athapaskan migrants from northwestern
North America to the southwestern states, the university said Tuesday
in a news release. Previous genetic studies of this group -- now
called Apacheans -- focused on mitochondrial DNA passed from mothers
to children.
The Athapaskan migration is believed to have occurred about 500 years
ago, researchers said..
The findings support the hypothesis that the Athapaskan migration
involved a small group that was successful in assimilating with people
living in the Southwest, researchers said.
Researchers checked genetic signatures on specific regions of the Y
chromosomes from 26 native North American populations. Those who share
many of the genetic signatures are more likely to share a recent
common ancestor than those who don't, they said.
The study also revealed how pervasively European males mixed with
native groups, said principal investigator Ripan Malhi, a molecular
anthropologist at the university.
The findings are in the July issue of American Journal of Physical
Anthropology.