The Beringian Standstill

The Beringian standstill hypothesis is one of the most important and most discussed models in the study of the first Americans.

Understanding it is essential to understanding what the USR1 genome revealed.

During the Last Glacial Maximum — roughly 26,000 to 19,000 years ago — the ice sheets that covered much of North America were at their greatest extent.

The Laurentide Ice Sheet reached from the Arctic to the northern United States.

The Cordilleran Ice Sheet covered the western mountain ranges.