ind ian ▁ind igen ous ▁groups ▁increase ▁with ▁distance ▁from ▁the ▁assumed ▁entry ▁point ▁into ▁the ▁Amer icas . ▁C ertain ▁gen etic ▁divers ity ▁patterns ▁from ▁West ▁to ▁East ▁suggest , ▁particularly ▁in ▁South ▁America , ▁that ▁migration ▁proceeded ▁first ▁down ▁the ▁west ▁coast , ▁and ▁then ▁proceeded ▁east ward . ▁Gen etic ists ▁have ▁various ly ▁estimated ▁that ▁pe op les ▁of ▁Asia ▁and ▁the ▁Amer icas ▁were ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁same ▁population ▁from ▁ 4 2 , 0 0 0 ▁to ▁ 2 1 , 0 0 0 ▁years ▁ago . ▁ ▁New ▁studies ▁shed ▁light ▁on ▁the ▁found ing ▁population ▁of ▁ind igen ous ▁Americans , ▁suggesting ▁that ▁their ▁ancest ry ▁trac ed ▁to ▁both ▁east ▁Asian ▁and ▁western ▁E uras ians ▁who ▁migr ated ▁to ▁North ▁America ▁directly ▁from ▁Si ber ia . ▁A ▁ 2 0 1 3 ▁study ▁in ▁the ▁journal ▁Nature ▁reported ▁that ▁DNA ▁found ▁in ▁the ▁ 2 4 , 0 0 0 - year - old ▁remains ▁of ▁a ▁young ▁boy ▁in ▁Mal ’ ta ▁Si ber ia ▁suggest ▁that ▁up ▁to ▁one - third ▁of ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁Americans ▁may ▁have ▁ancest ry ▁that ▁can ▁be ▁trac ed ▁back ▁to ▁western ▁E uras ians , ▁who ▁may ▁have ▁" had ▁a ▁more ▁north - e aster ly ▁distribution ▁ 2 4 , 0 0 0 ▁years ▁ago ▁than ▁commonly ▁thought " ▁Professor ▁Kelly ▁Graf ▁said ▁that ▁" O ur ▁find ings ▁are ▁significant ▁at ▁two ▁levels . ▁First , ▁it ▁shows