New Evidence Confirms Early Human Arrival in the Americas

New research provides further evidence that humans arrived in the Americas much earlier than previously thought. Fossilized footprints found in New Mexico, dating back 21,000 to 23,000 years ago, have been confirmed through radiocarbon dating of preserved seeds. The discovery pushes back the timeline of human history in the Americas and suggests that humans arrived in the region even earlier than previously believed. The study used multiple lines of evidence, including radiocarbon dating of conifer pollen and optically stimulated luminescence, to support the initial dates. The findings indicate a human presence in the Americas during the Last Glacial Maximum, a period when massive ice sheets covered North America. The exact migration route and the number of populations that made the journey remain unknown.