New Mexico

A recent study has confirmed that fossilised human footprints in New Mexico are likely the oldest direct evidence of human presence in the Americas, challenging previous archaeological beliefs.

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The footprints, found at the edge of an ancient  lakebed in White Sands National Park, date back to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago, according to research published in the journal Science.

The estimated age of these footprints was initially reported in Science in 2021, but some researchers raised concerns about the dating methods used. Questions were raised about the possibility that seeds of aquatic plants used for dating may have absorbed ancient carbon from the lake, potentially leading to inaccurate radiocarbon dating results.

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New supporting evidence

This recent study provides two additional lines of evidence to support the older date range. It uses two distinct materials found at the site: ancient conifer pollen and quartz grains. These materials help bolster the argument for the older age of the footprints.

The reported age of these footprints challenges the conventional wisdom that humans did not reach the Americas until just a few thousand years before rising sea levels submerged the Bering land bridge between Russia and Alaska, believed to have occurred around 15,000 years ago. This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of human migration patterns.

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The study has generated significant interest among archaeologists, as it sheds new light on the history of human presence in the Americas. Ancient footprints offer a unique snapshot of a moment in time, and the footprints in White Sands leave no ambiguity about their human origin. While other archaeological sites in the Americas suggest similar date ranges, this discovery at White Sands is seen as providing irrefutable evidence of early human presence in the region.

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