The new study by the University of Michigan, published Monday, examined genes of indigenous people from North to South America and from two Siberian groups, the university said in a report introducing the research.
Analysis found one unique genetic variant widespread across both the northern and southern American continents -- suggesting that all Native Americans were descended from a single group, not various ones as the rival theory holds.
Anthropologists and archeologists have long argued over whether Native Americans are descended from migrants who crossed by land to the northwest 12,000 years ago, or waves of arrivals by sea and land from elsewhere in Asia and Polynesia beginning up to 30,000 years ago.
What'll the anti-mormons think of next?
WK: "Joseph Smith asserted that the Book of Mormon peoples were the original inhabitants of the americas"
Will Schryver: "No, he didn’t." 3/19/08
Still waiting for Will to back this up...
suggesting that all Native Americans were descended from a single group
You do not understand... this single group was Lehi & Co. Just wait, in time new dates will come to light supporting the migration of the Book of Mormon peoples. All the research hasn't been done!
;-)
~dancer~
"The search for reality is the most dangerous of all undertakings for it destroys the world in which you live." Nisargadatta Maharaj
It's still true that if a small group of Viking-Nephites came to Mesoamerica around 600 BC, when it was already populated by powerful and widespread Siberian civilizations, we probably wouldn't be able to pick out the extant DNA even if we did know what markers would identify a Hebrew-Norseman of that period.
Strangely, the Nephite sagas say very little about the vast Siberian civilizations and culture who the Nephites lived "among", but they must have been there. We know this because of DNA as well as from archaeology. Let's go look in the Book of Mormon and see what clues we can find, clues that Joseph Smith himself never noticed. As they say, it is time to find Mesoamerica in the Book of Mormon instead of thinking we can find remnants of the Nephites in Mesoamerica. Some FARMS articles and John Sorenson can lead us through where a straighforward reading of the Book of Mormon is not clear about the indigenous people; all are Lamanites to the Book of Mormon writers, named descendants of Lehi, and possibly Mulek or an Ericson.
Don't try to find Nephites in the ancient world, don't try to find their DNA. It won't be there. You have a better bet by looking for the ancient world -- and Siberian DNA -- in the Book of Mormon. Strange but true.
The Dude wrote:It's still true that if a small group of Viking-Nephites came to Mesoamerica around 600 BC, when it was already populated by powerful and widespread Siberian civilizations, we probably wouldn't be able to pick out the extant DNA even if we did know what markers would identify a Hebrew-Norseman of that period.
Strangely, the Nephite sagas say very little about the vast Siberian civilizations and culture who the Nephites lived "among", but they must have been there. We know this because of DNA as well as from archaeology. Let's go look in the Book of Mormon and see what clues we can find, clues that Joseph Smith himself never noticed. As they say, it is time to find Mesoamerica in the Book of Mormon instead of thinking we can find remnants of the Nephites in Mesoamerica. Some FARMS articles and John Sorenson can lead us through where a straighforward reading of the Book of Mormon is not clear about the indigenous people; all are Lamanites to the Book of Mormon writers, named descendants of Lehi, and possibly Mulek or an Ericson.
Don't try to find Nephites in the ancient world, don't try to find their DNA. It won't be there. You have a better bet by looking for the ancient world -- and Siberian DNA -- in the Book of Mormon. Strange but true.
( The Viking sagas at least mention [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skræling]skraelings[/url]. )
Exactly right. The "others" aren't there except by some really strained readings of the text. And even if we grant the presence of vast groups of people, how on earth did a small band of strangers gain political, economic, and religious dominance over them? It just doesn't make sense. Your suggestions are right on the money; but what we're getting instead are lame parallels and not much else.
It's so obvious. I can't believe you haven't taken time to educate yourselves.
Awesome. This will be the next great apologetic discovery, you just need to find some "interesting parallels" between land bridges and boats. Lets see, they both have water on at least two sides, and they both allow people to stand on them without getting wet. Now we just need to find linguistic evidence of ancient people referring to land bridges as boats or vice versa. An ancient boat with the initials L.B. on the side would work.
"We of this Church do not rely on any man-made statement concerning the nature of Deity. Our knowledge comes directly from the personal experience of Joseph Smith." - Gordon B. Hinckley
"It's wrong to criticize leaders of the Mormon Church even if the criticism is true." - Dallin H. Oaks
Runtu wrote:...how on earth did a small band of strangers gain political, economic, and religious dominance over them?
And how did none of it survive?
Satanwassetup wrote:Awesome. This will be the next great apologetic discovery, you just need to find some "interesting parallels" between land bridges and boats. Lets see, they both have water on at least two sides, and they both allow people to stand on them without getting wet. Now we just need to find linguistic evidence of ancient people referring to land bridges as boats or vice versa. An ancient boat with the initials L.B. on the side would work.
lol. Especially the part about finding a boat with L.B. on the side. rofl.
WK: "Joseph Smith asserted that the Book of Mormon peoples were the original inhabitants of the americas"
Will Schryver: "No, he didn’t." 3/19/08
Still waiting for Will to back this up...
Runtu wrote:...how on earth did a small band of strangers gain political, economic, and religious dominance over them?
And how did none of it survive?
Sorry to quote myself, but this is a good point.
For the apologists, Lehi & Cos. group had to be big enough to influence the millions of NAs already here in the americas. But at the same time, it had to be small enough to leave no genetic footprint.
Is such a thing even possible?
WK: "Joseph Smith asserted that the Book of Mormon peoples were the original inhabitants of the americas"
Will Schryver: "No, he didn’t." 3/19/08
Still waiting for Will to back this up...
Who Knows wrote: Sorry to quote myself, but this is a good point.
For the apologists, Lehi & Cos. group had to be big enough to influence the millions of NAs already here in the americas. But at the same time, it had to be small enough to leave no genetic footprint.
Is such a thing even possible?
It is a good point, indeed. Not only is there no genetic footprint, but there's no evidence whatsoever in the archeological record: no trace of the technologies and practices described, no remnant of Nephite written language, no religious artifacts. Nothing. Nada. Zip.
And, no, it's not possible, unless God magically hid every trace of this vast civilization so that we moderns could have more faith.