Native Americans and Northern Europeans more closely related than previously thought

Using genetic analyses, scientists have discovered that Northern European populations -- including British, Scandinavians, French, and some Eastern Europeans -- descend from a mixture of two very different ancestral populations, and one of these populations is related to Native Americans. This discovery helps fill gaps in scientific understanding of both Native American and Northern European ancestry, while providing an explanation for some genetic similarities among what would otherwise seem to be very divergent groups.

This research was published in the November 2012 issue of the Genetics Society of America's journal Genetics.

According to Nick Patterson, first author of the report, "There is a genetic link between the paleolithic population of Europe and modern Native Americans. The evidence is that the population that crossed the Bering Strait from Siberia into the Americas more than 15,000 years ago was likely related to the ancient population of Europe." [...] ScienceDaily

Actualización 03-12-12. Hallan vínculos genéticos entre los nativos americanos y ciertas poblaciones europeas
Nuevos análisis genéticos realizados por investigadores estadounidenses han revelado que las poblaciones del norte de Europa descienden de la mezcla de dos poblaciones ancestrales muy distintas, una de las cuales estaría a su vez vinculada con los nativos americanos. El hallazgo revela antiguos patrones de migración, y refuerza la idea de que todos los seres humanos están estrechamente relacionados entre sí, según los científicos...