Revisiting the Timeline of Human Migration into North America

Recent research on ancient DNA provides a clearer picture of early human migration into North America. This study, set to publish in the December 2026 issue of Current Opinion in Genetics & Development, reexamines genetic and archaeological evidence to determine when humans first arrived in the Americas.

Genetic evidence now suggests humans may have reached the Americas between 14,000 and 20,000 years ago, with a likely arrival before 15,000 years ago. Previously, the ‘Clovis First’ hypothesis posited that humans arrived around 13,500 years ago. However, new archaeological findings challenge this view, suggesting earlier human presence in North America.

The study, led by Bethany Potter and Savannah Hay from the University of Kansas, analyzed ancient DNA and archaeological data, including 23,000-year-old human footprints from White Sands National Park, New Mexico. These footprints indicate humans might have been in North America earlier than suggested by genetic evidence alone.

Some early populations may have left no surviving genetic lineages, the researchers noted. By examining genetic data from ancient remains in Asia and the Americas, the study traced the ancestry of early Indigenous populations. Ancestral lineages seem to have diverged around 21,000 years ago, with Native American populations later splitting into northern and southern groups approximately 15,500 years ago. This split likely occurred south of the large ice sheets that once dominated much of North America.

The ‘Clovis First’ theory had suggested a later arrival of humans in North America, but new evidence shows a small group likely entered a human-free continent earlier on. Despite advances, researchers acknowledge uncertainties about specific times and locations of these divergence events.

Beyond this study, ancient DNA continues to illuminate historical mysteries. For example, researchers discovered ancient sheep pox virus DNA in the York Gospels and smallpox DNA in centuries-old mummies in Chile, offering new insights into the spread of these diseases.