DNA tests on a 10,300-year-old man discovered in Alaska links him to 47 tribal descendants in North and South America, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Paleontologist Timothy Heaton extracted DNA from "On Your Knees Cave Man" and compared it to a database of Native people. He found 47 descendants belonging to tribes as diverse as the Chumash in California, the Zapotec in Mexico and the Quechua of Peru.

The connection was uncovered by examining the haplotype, or DNA mutation, of the ancestor and his descendants. According to researchers, there are five different haplotypes found among all Native Americans.

On Your Knees Cave Man was found in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska in 1996. The U.S. Forest Service worked with the Klawock Tribe and the Craig Tribe on the excavation. Tribal members participated and observed the dig. The tribes agreed to the DNA test, which was restricted to two teeth.

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