Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a child cremated in central Alaska about 11,500 years ago. They are the earliest known human remains from the North American Subarctic and Arctic region.

The fragments were found in a fire pit in an ancient dwelling and provide new insight into the burial practices of ice age people. The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Science.

Although only about 20 percent of the child’s remains was recovered, leaving the sex unknown, the researchers discovered teeth that indicate the child was about 3 years old....