Now here’s a provocative idea:
Taken together, the analyses in this study suggest a recent founding of the New World Amerind-speaking peoples by a small population of effective size near 70, followed by population growth in the New World.
70.
Obviously it’s possible; theoretically all you need to establish a population is one breeding pair and an environment which allows that pair and its progeny to survive, but it kind of flies in the face of my idea of a large migration from Asia across a land bridge to North America.
Wait, there’s more. The study suggests that the entire population of Asia at the time of the migration was roughly 9,000.
9,000.
About.com has a summary of the article. If you want all the nifty tables, though, you’ll have to go the main one.
…And boy, were their arms tired!
Still, in the face of declining biodiversity, it’s nice to know that sometimes you can get by with a small genetic pool. Explains a lot about people, really.
Now where’d I put my banjo?
NTodd, the banjo reference needs further explanation, unless you’re thinking of “I come from Alabama, with a banjo on my knee…”
Reference to the movie Deliverance.