Archaeologists have discovered what they believe to be the oldest human footprints found in North America.
Scientists discovered ancient footprints in New Mexico's White Sands National Park. Science reported that they were between 21,000 to 23,000 years old.
Scientists from the US Geological Survey analysed seeds in the tracks to determine the age of fossils. The prints were found buried under layers of soil in the national parks. Researchers determined that the footprints belonged to several people, mostly teenagers and children.
Scientists had previously assumed that humans first appeared in North America 11,000-13,000 years ago. This was due to the Clovis culture and stone spears found all over North America.
Tom Higham, an archaeologist and radiocarbon-dating expert from the University of Vienna, said that the evidence is convincing and very exciting. These footprints are definitely of the claimed age, I'm convinced.
Experts from White Sands National Park, the National Park Service and US Geological Survey conducted the new research.
This paper supports the claim that these footprints are human and more than 20,000 years old, according to Spencer Lucas, a palaeontologist from New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is a major breakthrough.
