In this June 2013 photo provided by National Geographic, diver Susan Bird, working at the bottom of Hoyo Negro, a large dome-shaped underwater cave in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, brushes a human skull found at the site while her team members take detailed
New York:
Thousands of years ago, a teenage girl in a Mexican cave fell into a deep hole and died. Now, her skeleton and her DNA are helping scientists study the origins of the first Americans.
The finding bolsters the theory that the first Americans arrived from Asia by way of an ancient land bridge to Alaska that is now submerged.
The girl's nearly complete skeleton was discovered in a now water-filled cave in the eastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula.
An analysis of her remains was released Thursday by the journal Science. Her skull resembles ancient skeletal remains previously found in the Americas. Her DNA links her to the ancient land bridge, and suggests she shares ancestors with today's native peoples of the Americas.
The finding bolsters the theory that the first Americans arrived from Asia by way of an ancient land bridge to Alaska that is now submerged.
The girl's nearly complete skeleton was discovered in a now water-filled cave in the eastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula.
An analysis of her remains was released Thursday by the journal Science. Her skull resembles ancient skeletal remains previously found in the Americas. Her DNA links her to the ancient land bridge, and suggests she shares ancestors with today's native peoples of the Americas.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
