The scientific community will continue to look for more such data points.

More ancient specimens from Alaska and the Beringian region.

More complete genomic datasets.

More precise dating.

More sophisticated population-genetic models that can distinguish among different demographic scenarios using the available evidence.

And perhaps, somewhere in the collections of institutions around the world, there are more specimens like the Trail Creek tooth — old objects, excavated by researchers who could not have anticipated what modern methods would reveal from them, waiting for the right question and the right analyst to unlock their scientific potential.

The Return to the Small Object