From the bison, learn more about the first person to set foot in America

Study the movement of ancient herds of bulls to give a clue about the first people to live in the Americas.

Previously, the ice-covered trail, through the Rocky Mountains, was once considered a route that ancient people migrated from Alaska to the Americas. Recently, however, based on the study of fossilized bone bony specimens , scientists at the University of Santa Barbara (California, USA) have not found that.

Using radiocarbon analysis and DNA analysis, the researchers tracked the movement of the herds on the trail and identified it about 13,000 years ago.

Research shows that the first Americans may have migrated from Alaska through a Pacific coastal route rather than following a trail through the Rocky Mountains.

Ancient bison has much larger horns than modern bison.(Source: CSM).

Dr. Peter Heintzman, a member of the research team, said: About 14,000 to 15,000 years ago, there were still plenty of ice in the Rocky Mountains."If there is no trail, people will have to cross freezing areas, quite dangerous, so following the coastal path is the most accurate answer."

The team also found the oldest evidence of human presence in the south of the icy regions about 15,000 years ago. Scientists believe that the two areas of Cordilleran and Laurentide were close to each other about 21,000 years ago, during the last ice age. The ice has buried the trail through the Rocky Mountains, creating two distinct bison populations in the north and south of the glacier.

Through genetic analysis in 78 samples of bison bones, the team concluded that the southern herd of cows had begun moving north about 13,400 years ago.

Beth Shapiro, Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Santa Cruz (California), said: "Evidence shows that people migrated along this trail mainly from the south to the north."

Evidence related to the ancient Clovis - once considered the first immigrants to the Americas about 13,000 years ago, gradually towards the north of the trail area.

"Because these people hunt bison, we can conclude they will follow the herd as they move north into the trail," said Dr. Shapiro. According to Dr. Shapiro, this is a historical path because it facilitates migration and exchanges between groups of people living in the north and south of the icy region.

Heintzman and colleagues published their findings in the journal of the National Academy of Sciences.