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When did the first humans arrive in America? Mammoth fossils contribute to the discussion

Science is never stagnant; it develops as new tools and methods are made accessible and as outdated knowledge is replaced with fresh information through experiments, tests, and research. Of course, change is the only constant, and this saying is true for all sciences.

A recent study has added to the debate about the precise date that people first entered North America.
The first native Americans are thought to have landed in North America around 10,000 BC. These individuals are believed to have travelled across the former ‘aland bridge’ that linked Siberia (Russia) and Alaska (North America).

However, recent research suggests that humans were living in North America tens of thousands of years before the region’s generally recognised arrival date.

Mammoth bones analysis indicates that people were living in North America as early as 37,000 BC.

How did the researchers get this result, then? A bone from a female mammoth who lived 37,000 years ago was discovered. They also discovered injuries on the bone that could only have been caused by ancient humans butchering the animal.

Paleontologist Timothy Rowe, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences, stated of the radiocarbon dating, ‘I think it’s a rock-solid radiocarbon date.’ ‘Skeptics will scrutinise everything, but I believe we ticked every box,’ the author said.

The study on these bones’ principal author is Rowe. In the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, the work has been published.

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