NEWLY discovered ancient teeth dating back 31,000 years are evidence of a new ethnic group in human history - and could change everything we know about the first American settlers.

Living in extreme arctic conditions in Siberia during the last Ice Age, the previously-undiscovered group is being hailed by scientists as a "missing link in evolution".

6 The ancient teeth that enabled the discovery of the lost human group Credit: Willerslev et al

The ancient people have been named as 'Ancient North Siberians' and the new study suggests that they would have survived in harsh conditions by hunting woolly mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses and bison.

They were discovered thanks to DNA analysis of two ancient milk teeth, found buried deep at the Yana Rhinoceros Horn archaeological site in Russia.

Professor Eske Willerslev, who led the study, said: “The Yana site 31,000 years ago was an Arctic steppe - more rich in plant diversity than today and dominated by varies forbs and grasses, there were very few trees if any. The animal life was very different than today.

"It was more like what we know from the African savanna with mammoth, woolly rhino, horses, bison, wolves and lions. The Ancient North Siberians were hunting these particularly rhino and mammoth.”

6 Native American ancestors crossed over a now submerged land bridge called the Bering Strait from Siberia to North America

6 The children's teeth were found at this site amount all these ancient animal bones and tools Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

The discovery was made as part of a wider study which also found 10,000 year-old human remains in another site in Siberia.

These 10,000 year-old remains are being labelled as the missing link in the story of Native American ancestral history.

DNA analysis revealed that a male skeleton found at the Kolyma site contained a mixture of Ancient North Siberian DNA and East Asian DNA, which is very similar to that found in Native Americans.

This suggests that Ancient North Siberians were key to the interbreeding and migration which led to Paleo-Siberians diverging and travelling across the Bering Strait from Siberia to North America to become the first Native Americans.

6 This 10,000 year old skull shared DNA with the Ancient North Siberians and also with Native American ancestors Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

6 This discovery has changed what we thought we knew about the history of human migration Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

It is thought that ancient humans migrated across continents in pursuit of animals to hunt and due to other factors like climate change and avoiding confrontation with different groups.

The discovery of Ancient North Siberians has subsequently changed what we know about human migration as a whole.

The researchers think 40 people belonging to this group would have lived at the Yana site and they would have belonged to a wider population of around 500 people.

6 The Ancient North Siberians would have lived in very extreme conditions Credit: Sue Flood

Stone tools, lots of animal bones and other evidence of human habitation have been found at the site.

This research has been published in the journal Nature.

Who were the Ancient North Siberians? Here's what you need to know about the newly discovered group The Ancient North Siberians are a newly discovered group of ancient people who lived in modern day Russia around 30,000 years ago

They would have lived in extreme Ice Age conditions but it would have been a lot warmer than you would assume as it was towards the end of the Ice Age

Their habitat would have been a grassy open landscape and they would have hunted big animals like mammoths, bison and woolly rhinos

They also would have lived alongside lions, horses and wolves

They are related to a later group of Paleosiberians who diverged and interbred to become the group of people who travelled across from Siberia to North America to become the first Native Americans

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What do you think of this new ancestral discovery? Let us know in the comments...

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