In a discovery that is sure to force us to rethink the peopling of the Americas, a team of researchers have discovered and dated a set of fossilized footprints along the banks of what was an ancient lake bed. Carbon dating of seeds and other organic material from the layer where the footprints were found and the surrounding layers have set a date far in excess of the tradition theory of peopling of the Americas. The footprints show human activity 21 to 23 thousand years ago.
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The size of the footprints suggest as group of children were having a leisurely stroll or perhaps playing by the lakeshore all those thousands of years ago.
"Normally, rock layers are "a nightmare" to date, says Bennett, a professor of environmental and geographical sciences. But he says that two years ago, archaeologist David Bustos, a study co-author, discovered a site where human footprints were co-mingled with a layer of sediment containing seeds from the spiral ditchgrass, an aquatic plant that could be carbon-dated. The results gave an estimate for the footprints.
Tom Higham, an archaeological scientist and radiocarbon-dating expert at the University of Vienna, who was not part of the study, called the latest findings "extremely exciting."
[www.npr.org]
Interesting how the theories for dating human arrival in the America's just keep getting pushed backwards. I wonder how long these kids ancestors had been here before these footprints were laid down and how did they get here?
The size of the footprints suggest as group of children were having a leisurely stroll or perhaps playing by the lakeshore all those thousands of years ago.
"Normally, rock layers are "a nightmare" to date, says Bennett, a professor of environmental and geographical sciences. But he says that two years ago, archaeologist David Bustos, a study co-author, discovered a site where human footprints were co-mingled with a layer of sediment containing seeds from the spiral ditchgrass, an aquatic plant that could be carbon-dated. The results gave an estimate for the footprints.
Tom Higham, an archaeological scientist and radiocarbon-dating expert at the University of Vienna, who was not part of the study, called the latest findings "extremely exciting."
[www.npr.org]
Interesting how the theories for dating human arrival in the America's just keep getting pushed backwards. I wonder how long these kids ancestors had been here before these footprints were laid down and how did they get here?