US EditionStudy confirms controversial 23,000-year-old human footprints, challenging past views on peopling of the Americas
WHITE SANDS NATIONAL PARK, NEW MEXICO, UNITED STATES, JUN 20 – Radiocarbon analysis of ancient mud from three labs produced 55 consistent dates confirming humans lived in the Americas during the Last Glacial Maximum, 10,000 years earlier than thought.
- Researchers excavated 61 ancient human footprints at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, dating them between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago.
- This finding challenges the earlier view that Clovis people, dating from about 13,000 to 16,000 years ago, were North America's first inhabitants.
- Scientists used radiocarbon dating of pollen, seeds, and recently ancient mud layers to independently confirm the footprints' age with 55 consistent dates.
- Vance Holliday expressed that it would be highly unlikely for all the dating results to align so well if they were incorrect, though he admitted that the absence of artifacts remains a challenging question for researchers.
- The study implies humans lived in North America during the Last Glacial Maximum, but questions remain about why no settlements or debris fields accompany the footprints.
36 Articles
36 Articles
A new study of scientists from Arizona University confirmed that the first people appeared in North America about 23 thousand years ago, almost 10,000 years earlier than they thought in the scientific community.
U of A study confirms New Mexico fossils may be earliest evidence of humans in Americas
A new study by University of Arizona researchers bolsters the case that fossilized footprints in White Sands, New Mexico, are the earliest evidence of humans in the Americas.
Ancient Footprints Show Humans Lived in North America Over 21,000 Years Ago
A new study confirms White Sands footprints are over 21,000 years old, reshaping the timeline of early human presence in North America.. Credit: US Geological Service / Public domain A new study provides solid evidence that human footprints discovered at White Sands National Park in New Mexico date back to over 21,000 years, reinforcing a controversial claim that people lived in North America far earlier than believed thus far. The footprints, f…
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