Archaeologists say DNA from ancient bones of domesticated turkeys provides a clue into the mysterious exodus of cliff dwellers from southwestern Colorado 700 years ago.
A paper in the journal PLoS One says the DNA shows the cliff dwellers raised turkeys similar to turkeys raised by ancient people in northern New Mexico.
The paper, co-authored by University of Colorado archaeologist Scott Ortman, says that kind of turkey became more common in New Mexico about the time the Colorado dwellings were emptied.
DNA from ancient turkey bones has been used to trace the Pueblo migration from Mesa Verde to New Mexico in the 13th century.UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
He says that supports the hypothesis that the cliff dwellers migrated to New Mexico during a late 1200s drought.
The researchers believe Native Americans there today are the cliff dwellers' descendants.
Some archaeologists have questioned that explanation and Ortman acknowledges the turkey DNA alone isn't conclusive.
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