Kennewick Man: New DNA Analysis Reveals He was Native American

Some ancient DNA is shedding some light on a 8,500-year-old skeleton. It turns out that the person was more closely related to Native Americans than to any other group of people in the world, ending the debate on the skeleton's origins.

In this case, the researchers examined a skeleton known as the Kennewick Man. In 2014, researchers used anatomical data to show that the skeleton was related more to indigenous Japanese or Polynesian peoples than to Native Americans.

Yet the skeleton was called the Ancient One by Native American groups, which believed the bones were those of a long-ago ancestor. In 2004, five Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest requested repatriation of the remains for reburial. Yet with the findings in 2014, it seemed as if the skeleton wasn't related.

Now, though, a new genetic study of ancient DNA from the bone in the skeleton's hand refutes the 2014 study. The researchers used the latest in DNA isolation and sequencing techniques to pick out and analyze the skeleton's DNA.

"Using ancient DNA, we were able to show that Kennewick Man is more closely related to Native Americans than any other population," said Morten Rasmussen, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Due to the massive controversy surrounding the origins of this sample, the ability to address this will be of interest to both scientists and tribal members."

The findings revealed that, in fact, the skeleton was closely related to Native Americans. The new findings align with the oral history of Native American populations and lend support to their claims. In addition, the new findings show how new techniques with DNA can be used to learn a bit more about the ancient past.

The findings are published in the journal Nature.

Related Stories

How Modern Europe was Created: Ancient DNA Reveals Massive Migration

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).