Scientists have mapped the oldest genome recovered from the New World and made significant discoveries about the origins of today's Native Americans.

According to the Associated Press, the artifacts belong to a one-year-old boy who died 12,600 years ago and was buried at a site now located in Montana. DNA analysis suggested the boy's ancestors were from Asia, confirming the theory that the earliest settlers traveled by an ancient land bridge known as the Bering Strait.

The boy was also linked to today's Native Americans, but had more in common with those from Central and South America. The scientists were not able to compare the DNA to that of a modern Native American.

The boy, who died of an unknown cause, was found in 1968 buried with 125 artifacts including spear points, elk antler tools, ritual objects or heirlooms and other items that indicated a burial ceremony. A multi-institution team of scientists reported their findings online in the journal Nature Wednesday.

"We found the genome of this boy is more closely related to Native Americans today than to any other peoples anywhere else," study lead author Eske Willlerslev, of the University of Copenhagen, told NBC News.

Not involved in the study, John Johnson, curator of anthropology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, said the study is important because it offers a better look at Native Americans' genetic history and diversity.

"I think it's highly significant piece of work," he told NBC News. "There is a need for continued sampling of living Native Americans to get a more complete look at genetic diversity."

Jennifer Raff, of the University of Texas, was a co-author of a commentary piece accompanying the study. She told Reuters the work is the "final shovelful of dirt" on the idea that the earliest humans arrived via the Bering Strait.

"This discovery confirms that tribes never really doubted," study co-author Shane Doyle, a professor of Native American History at Montana State University and a member of the Crow tribe, told NBC News. "We have no reason to doubt that we've been here for this long."