New theories that the earliest human inhabitants of North America arrived before the migration of people from Asia across the Bering Strait are challenged by a new analysis of archaeological sites in the Americas.
An analysis done by University of Wyoming Professor Todd Surovell and colleagues suggests that misinterpretation of archaeological evidence at certain sites in North and South America might be to blame for theories that humans arrived long before 13500 BC.
The findings of the researchers are published in a journal. The paper is the latest development in the debate over the peopling of the Americas, in which some are questioning the long-held consensus that the first Americans were hunter-gatherers who entered North America from Asia via the Beringia land bridge up to 14,200 years ago.
The conclusions of the team are based on an analysis of the buried archaeological deposits. The sites in more southern locations show signs of artifact mixing, which is consistent with earlier human occupation.
If humans managed to break the continental ice sheets, there should be clear evidence for it in the form of a relatively high artifact count. The first human arrival to the New World is thought to have taken place by at least 14,200 years ago in Beringia. There is no strong evidence for human presence before those dates.
Two sites in Texas and one in Idaho were compared to sites in Alaska, Wyoming and Pennsylvania with evidence of earlier human occupation. The three sites that claimed to be older than 13,000 years ago all showed patterns of significant mixing.
The researchers were not able to get detailed information about some sites in North and South America that were thought to have been occupied by humans before 13,000 years ago.
There are few sites that claim to be older than 13,000 years ago, and the data supporting their status has been poorly disseminated.
The paper does not completely rule out the possibility that humans colonized the Americas at an earlier date.
It is possible that there was something different about pre-Clovis human behavior south of the ice sheets, or that the evidence indicates the presence of humans south of the ice sheets.
Sarah Allaun, Robert Kelly, Mary Lou Larson, Spencer Pelton, Barbara Crass, Charles Holmes, and Joseph Gingerich were all part of the research.
More information: Todd A. Surovell et al, Late date of human arrival to North America: Continental scale differences in stratigraphic integrity of pre-13,000 BP archaeological sites, PLOS ONE (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264092 Journal information: PLoS ONE Citation: Study challenges theories of earlier human arrival in Americas (2022, April 20) retrieved 20 April 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-theories-earlier-human-americas.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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