The 10,600-Year-Old Man Found In Nevada — And The DNA Discovery That Changed The Story Of The First Americans
It can tell us that his genome does not support the Paleoamerican hypothesis of a separate, earlier founding group.
What it cannot tell us is the specific, individual identity of the man buried in the cave.
His personal name — whatever language he spoke it in — is irrecoverable.
The community he belonged to, the language his community spoke, the specific social organization and ceremonial practices of the group he was part of — none of these are in the genome.
DNA can tell us about population-level genetic relationships.
It cannot tell us about the full complexity of cultural identity.