When the analysis was complete, the team had recovered sufficient genetic data to address the fundamental questions: What population did the Spirit Cave Man belong to?

How was he related to modern Native American populations?

And did his genetics support or refute the Paleoamerican hypothesis?

The Result That Ended The Debate

The genetic analysis of the Spirit Cave Man’s remains produced results that were both scientifically significant and legally consequential.

The first and most fundamental finding: the Spirit Cave Man was most closely related to Native American populations.

His genome was not closer to Australian Aboriginal populations, or to African populations, or to any European group.