io9 shares a new thesis about the origins of the Ancient Mayan civilization:

What Triadan, Inomata and their colleagues’ new discoveries suggest is that great civilizations don’t grow out of previous dominant groups like the Olmec, nor do they arise in isolation. They are the result of hybridization. The Maya came to dominate Mexico, Guatemala and Belize because they were able to incorporate the innovations of the Olmec along with the discoveries and beliefs of many peoples in the area whose lives we are just now beginning to learn about. The ancient Maya were, in other words, a multiculture.

I’d like to propose one of the great strengths of the American people has always been hybrid vigor. If we hope to flower throughout the 21st century, we might be better served worrying less about how to drive people away from this country, and more about how to attract the best and brightest from across the globe.