Related... This Nova episode talks about the first people of the Americas... The interesting part to me was the discussion of the skulls found of the Clovis people compared to modern Native Americans. The shape looks more Neanderthal-like than modern Native Americans, but they seemed to have DNA evidence that the Clovis people were their ancestors. It left me a little unclear as to why the shape of the skulls were so different. I guess it comes down to multiplexing (many distinct peoples entered North America through the land bridge 13,000 years ago, but over time, they blended into something more recognizable as modern Native Americans, despite the fact that they seem to most closely resemble modern Asians. I guess it makes sense that the same peoples that crossed into North America and eventually blended here also contributed to the same blending in Asia. For instance, I wonder if they compared Clovis DNA to various Asian populations if they would also find that they contribute similar proportions of DNA?

NOVA - Official Website | First Face of America