Late Pleistocene Peopling of the Americas: Integrating Genetics and Archaeology

Late Pleistocene Peopling of the Americas: Integrating Genetics and Archaeology

Dr. Ben Potter
Professor, Department of Anthropology
University of Alaska Fairbanks

Ancient genetics have transformed our understanding of the peopling of the Americas, yet archaeological and paleoecological data have yet to be fully integrated to produce more rigorous and realistic models. This talk will bring together the most recent archaeogenetic data (most published within the last few years) to bear on the archaeology of the far north. The talk will highlight both the emerging consensus among these records as well as important areas of disagreement on the origins and expansions of the earliest Americans. Potential routes (coastal and interior) will be evaluated based on current data.

Dr. Ben A. Potter is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. His research interests include high latitude adaptations, intersite variability, site structure and organization, and long-term history. He leads investigations at important subarctic sites, including Upward Sun River, Mead, Gerstle River, and Delta River Overlook, and is currently engaged in archaeogenetics, geoarchaeology and human ecology research directed at understanding the peopling of northeast Asia, Beringia, and the Americas.

[qui-gonjay]

Why were the oldest North American sites such as Meadowcroft, Coopers Ferry, Monte Verde, Gault/Freidken, and all the sites on the DelMarva peninsula left of the migration maps?

[akiranara]

It shouldn't be ignored that Peopling of Janese Archipelago had started since around 40, 000 BP and reached Hokkaido, northern big land, by 30, 000 BP. Sojin, indigenous proto people of Japan before Jomon, had started their life in the Archipelago, crossing Tsushima strait by raft and been seafarer initially. They had collected good quality obsidian from Kouzuisland far more than 25km by boat since 38, 000 BP, not yet well known to the world. This should be paid attention in coastal migration theory of First Americans.-RGaPJ

[cacogenicist]

Rimrock Draw rockshelter, in Oregon, is solid at ~18kya. There were _certainly_ humans in N. America at 16kya; Cooper's Ferry is also solid.

[susanbroadstreet]

Informative, good speaker. Seems very knowledgable.

[josem.deteresa]

Very interesting. Also your maps are excellent explanatory and didactical devices.

[sciptick]

Wondering why nobody ever mentions the Tim Rowe's Hartley mastodon butchery site in New Mexico, securely dated to 37kya. Lots of bone-chip tools, but not knapped stone.

[patrik]

Wonder if the White Sands footprints came from the Population Y (who might not have stayed/survived in North America) or Moreno-Mayar's Unsampled Population A who split off between the Ancient Paleosiberians and the Ancient Beringians & left genetic traces in Mesoamericans like the Mixe.
In other words, a "pre-Amerindian" population that was largely replaced by later arrivals from Beringia but left genetic traces in *some* later Native American populations.

See Moreno Mayar, Willerslev et al, "Early human dispersals within the Americas" Science362, 1128 (2018)...

[oliphantfiction]

Excellent lecture on the genetic evidence of the peopling of the Americas and how it aligns with the archaeological evidence. Also provided clear explanations on issues pertaining to site dating and linguistics. Bravo!

[rogerdudra]

A consuming treatise on early America.

[RobertGotschall-yf]

Humans made it to Australia 60, 000 years ago by boat. They made it to New Mexico 22, 000 years ago. And I think these are conservative estimates.

[davidpnewton]

To the organisers: learn to actually use the software properly: MUTE PEOPLE who are not the speaker forcibly during the presentation. There were numerous intrusions of background noise and indeed echo on occasion which were quite distracting. Entirely avoidable if you run things properly.

[chrismattek]

23k.footprints but hold on to your 15k theroy.

[stevegarcia]

Anzick - the kid was not proven to be the same date as the Clovis cache. Thys we still have zero Clovis people's remains and genetics. IMHO, Clovis was a technology, not a culture. I quote Dub Crooks on that and agree with him.

[tommygamba]

In correct. Some came through Alaska. But we've ben here over 30k years. Longer than white people have been in the EU

[JamesObertino]

Not a video for the interested layman.

[malo]

If you accept that people first came through Beringia, why are there older settlements in south America? I don't believe there is enough evidence to say the first people came through Beringia and that this hypothesis is just more of the Clovis 1st proponents not being able to let go of their prejudices. Clovis technology has no relationship to siberian technology. Clovis technology is more like salutrean lithic technology. No Clovis lithic technology found along the Beringian path right? My belief is that migration didn't just happen one way and at one time. Genetically, explain X2, Australasian and Denisovan DNA in South America. The rapid genetic activity could have been from more rapid admixture, not the FIRST migration. How did Solutrean lithic technology arrive on the east coast of NA? Artifacts didn't get there by being washed from Europe during a tsunami. That data cannot be ignored, it HAS TO BE ACCOUNTED for. There are many many Solutrean artifacts on the east coast and in fact most of the Clovis sites are on the east coast also. Having DNA doesn't mean they are the FAMs, only that DNA was found representing a certain people at a certain time. Although there are no time IDs for some of the smaller DNA contributions, they shouldn't be scholars learn anything from Clovis 1st debacle? Of course, earlier peoples like White Sands could have come by a different route. You are using the term FAM for people that came AFTER the White Sands people. Why are the White Sands people from 23, 000 years ago not considered the FAMs? Its also interesting that there is no transitional lithic technology between ancient siberian people and Clovis people but the Clovis technology is so close to Salutrean technology. There is mitochondrial X2 European DNA found in small amounts in North America. How did that arrive?