Ancestral Native American Dispersal and Admixture
3. Meltzer describes the dispersal of the first peoples into the Americas, explaining that ancestral Native Americans likely arrived first and made it south of the ice sheets, splitting into Northern and Southern groups with the Southern group dispersing rapidly toward Tierra del Fuego. This rapid dispersal into completely unknown, people-free land suggests dogs—whose genomic history matches human travel—were likely part of their cultural repertoire for defense and hunting. Genomic data reveals that ancient groups later became isolated, developing distinctive genetic markers before experiencing later admixture as mobility increased, and critically shows no ancestral relationship between these first Americans and European, Ainu, or Polynesian populations.

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