In the 1860s, Swiss chemist Friedrich Miescher first identified DNA — a discovery that would eventually reshape how we understand human origins.
More than 150 years later, scientists are still uncovering surprises hidden inside ancient bones.
In 2018, an excavation in Alaska revealed something extraordinary: the remains of two infants that would change what we know about the first Americans.
Two Infants Buried 11,500 Years Ago
At a remote site called Upward Sun River in Alaska, archaeologists uncovered the remains of two infant girls.
Both were approximately 11,500 years old.
They were buried carefully — covered in red ochre and surrounded by tools and antlers, suggesting ritual significance and deep care.
One infant had been stillborn.
The other lived between six and twelve weeks.
Unlike a previously discovered three-year-old child at the same site, these remains were preserved well enough for DNA extraction.
And that’s when the real story began.
What Was Beringia?
During the Ice Age, sea levels were lower.
A massive land bridge called Beringia connected Siberia and Alaska.
For decades, scientists believed early humans crossed this bridge into North America roughly 15,000–20,000 years ago.
But some proposed something different — a theory called the Beringian Standstill Hypothesis.
This idea suggests early humans reached Beringia…
Then remained isolated there for thousands of years due to harsh glacial conditions.
The infants’ DNA would test that theory.
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