And specimens from northeastern Asia — from the Siberian regions most closely related to the founding Beringian population — could help characterize the specific Asian sources of Ancient Beringian ancestry, contributing to understanding how the Ancient Beringian branch formed within the broader context of Beringian population history.

This future work depends on multiple factors: the preservation of relevant specimens in the ground, the existence of those specimens in accessible form (either in existing collections or in archaeologically accessible contexts), the development of methods sensitive enough to extract genomic data from highly degraded Arctic specimens, and the ethical frameworks and collaborative relationships needed to conduct this research in ways that respect the interests of Indigenous communities.

All of these factors are positive and improving.

Preservation methods for ancient DNA are improving as the field develops better understanding of which environments and which specimen types yield the most reliable data.