“It’s the earliest unequivocal evidence for humans in the Americas.'
David Bustos heard about the “ghost tracks” when he first came to White Sands National Park in New Mexico to work as a wildlife scientist in 2005. When the ground was wet enough at certain times of the year, the ghostly footprints would appear on the otherwise blank earth, only to disappear again when it dried out.
in the journal Science and co-authored by Bustos, the ancient ditchgrass seeds were found in layers of hard earth both above and below the many human footprints at the site and radiocarbon dated to determine their age.The tracks at one location have been revealed as both the earliest known footprints and the oldest firm evidence of humans anywhere in the Americas, showing that people lived there between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago — several thousand years earlier than scientists once believed.
“A footprint is a really good, unequivocal data point,” he said. “That’s the importance of this site — we know they were there.” It’s long been debated if humans first arrived in the Americas via a northern route from Siberia either before or after the Last Glacial Maximum, when vast sheets of ice would have made migration along the Pacific Coast or through western Canada impossible.
The footprints are intermingled with the tracks of the animals, and show that people must have lived there for at least 2,000 years, Cornell University archaeologist Thomas Urban, a co-author of the research, said in an email.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Sex And The City' Actor Willie Garson Dies At Age 57The actor was famous for playing Stanford Blatch on the hit HBO show.
Read more »
Hormones matter: Doctor shares weight-loss advice for women after age 35Dr. Sara Gottfried spoke to TODAY special anchor Maria Shriver about how eating right for your hormones can help women lose weight for good.
Read more »
Dr. Siegel on ‘America's Newsroom’: COVID booster shot will 'benefit' people over age 60Dr. Marc Siegel joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss coronavirus booster shots.
Read more »
Federal court voids ruling on minimum age requirements for buying gunsA federal appeals court tossed out an earlier ruling that found federal laws prohibiting the sale of handguns to young adults under the age of 21 are unconstitutional.
Read more »
Escape to the Chateau's Angel Strawbridge defends 19-year age gap with husband DickThe Channel 4 stars recently spoke candidly about their unconventional age gap, admitting that it has never been an issue for them
Read more »