The site immediately became one of the most discussed and cited in the field of Paleolithic research, and its significance extended well beyond the specific region of northeastern Siberia.

Before Yana, the consensus view of Arctic prehistory held that humans had not penetrated the high Arctic until after the Last Glacial Maximum had passed — until after roughly 18,000 years ago, when the great ice sheets began their long retreat and conditions gradually became more habitable.

The reasoning was logical: why would anyone choose to live in such extreme conditions when more temperate environments were available?

The reasoning was wrong.