I’ve heard similar arguments about Kennewick Man, the 8,000+ year old skeleton found in Washington state. His remains looked “caucusoid,” therefore could not be Native American, and therefore laws that protected native remains did not apply. The dramatic differences in skull shape were not due to different blood lines, but to rapid evolutionary adaptation. Scientists now realize that skull shape is highly plastic and changes based on what we do. I hope that there is a growing appreciation of the concept of phenotypic plasticity — we are products of both our genes and our environment.

Source: The Guardian February 08, 2026 13:58 UTC