User:Moxy/sandboxtest

Approximately 36,000 years ago, a small group in East Asia diverged from larger populations.^[1] By 25,000 years ago, this group had divided into two factions: one became the ancient Paleo-Siberians in Northeast Asia, while the other gave rise to the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in the Americas. Around 24,000 years ago, both groups began interacting with ancient Northern Siberians, a meeting that some researchers believe occurred as people migrated north towards Beringia during the last glacial maximum, seeking refuge from the ice age.

Present-day Central Beringia is largely submerged but served as a crucial land bridge between 50,000 and 11,000 years ago. The term “Bering Land Bridge” implies a swift crossing to Alaska; however, evidence suggests it was significantly more expansive. If the “Out of Beringia” model holds true, it indicates a homeland where people resided and developed distinct genetic traits over generations. The Beringians divided into groups: the Ancestral Native Americans, the Ancient Beringians, and an unknown group that influenced certain Mesoamerican populations.

Around 17,000 years ago, melting ice sheets on the western coast of present-day Alaska enabled the First Peoples to migrate southward. This expansion is reflected in the genomes of their descendants. Mitochondrial DNA lineages indicate a rapid and extensive spread of the population after the Last Glacial Maximum, with numbers increasing approximately 60-fold between 16,000 and 13,000 years ago.

Between 15,000 and 13,000 years ago, the ancestors of Central and South American populations separated from those in North America. Evidence suggests their movement occurred along the coast rather than inland. This initial migration led to population growth and the establishment of various settlements, followed by subsequent migrations. After around 9,000 years ago, a group from Central America became ancestral to contemporary populations.