A new study of skulls from the Americas suggests that the continent was settled twice by distinct groups of people, with the second group arriving around 1,000 years later than the first.

The study, published in the journal Science, analyzed the shapes of skulls from 107 individuals who lived in the Americas between 11,000 and 1,000 years ago. The researchers found that the skulls could be divided into two distinct groups, with one group showing similarities to Native Americans and the other group showing similarities to East Asians.

The researchers believe that the first group of people to settle the Americas crossed the Bering Strait from Asia around 15,000 years ago. This group is known as the Paleo-Indians. The second group of people, known as the Neo-Indians, arrived around 1,000 years ago and may have come from Polynesia.

The study's findings have implications for our understanding of the peopling of the Americas. It suggests that there were at least two waves of migration from Asia to the Americas, and that the Neo-Indians may have played a role in the development of Native American cultures.

"Our findings provide new evidence for the complex history of human migration to the Americas," said study lead author Dr. John Verrill of the University of Toronto. "It is likely that the Paleo-Indians and Neo-Indians interacted with each other, and that this interaction may have shaped the development of Native American cultures."

The study's findings are based on a small sample size, and further research is needed to confirm the results. However, the study provides new insights into the peopling of the Americas and suggests that the continent's history is more complex than previously thought.