Human Occupation of the North American Colorado Plateau ∼37,000 Years Ago
A controversial new study argues that humans may have occupied North America nearly 37,000 years ago—more than twice as early as the traditional timeline.
Every few years somebody uncovers evidence that humans may have reached the Americas a whole lot earlier than the history books say. In this study, researchers examined two mammoth skeletons in New Mexico using advanced CT scans, microscopic analysis, and radiocarbon dating, concluding the animals may have been butchered by humans nearly 37,000 years ago and cooked using controlled fire. If the evidence continues to hold up, it would push human occupation of North America back by tens of thousands of years and force archaeologists to rethink how—and when—the first people arrived on this continent.
NOTE: this paper was originally published on July 7, 2022 14, 2022. It was written by Timothy B. Rowe, Thomas W. Stafford Jr., Daniel C. Fisher, Jan J. Enghild, J. Michael Quigg, Richard A. Ketcham, J. Chris Sagebiel2 Romy Hanna and Matthew W. Colbert
NOTE: if the PDF above does not load you can find it here ->
