i am currently reading the book of mormon. it states that between 600 and 500 bc a small community of israelites led by a man named lehi built a boat and arrived somewhere in north america, presumably close to the same area joseph smith lived (manchester new york). on this boat they brought over seeds for farming and various cattle. i am wondering if any of these claims can be backed up by science. is there any evidence that plants or animals originating from the middle east could have made it to north america at that time?