Groundbreaking Discovery of Fossilized Bones From Wild Canids 12,000 Years Ago Reveals Their Strong Connection to Humans
It has long been believed that ancient humans were responsible for the mass extinction of megafauna in the Americas. But a new discovery points to the fact that incredible extinct creatures that once dominated the earth, like mastodons, giant sloths, and ancient humans coexisted for a millennia, a finding that has turned all that archaeologists, geneticists, and researchers have believed about when humans first migrated to the Americas on its head.
Over the last several decades, archaeologists have been uncovering sites in North and South America that point to civilizations of people living on the continents thousands of years before the accepted timeframe of 13,000 years ago. However, with the giant mammals going extinct at roughly the same time as the first believed humans came to the Americas, accepting a new theory has been difficult in the scientific community.
The discovery of giant sloth bones from animals that weighed up to four tons that had been manipulated to form "adornments" or "jewelry" has been dated to be from 27,000 years ago. This finding has caused sides to form, with those willing to accept that humans could have been in the Americas far earlier than once believed and those who believe 13,000 years ago is the first time humans stepped foot on the continents.
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Discovery Shows Humans Came To The Americas Much Earlier Than Once Believed
The standard of when humans came to the Americas has been circulated for nearly a century. The idea is that when the Bering Land Bridge was accessible, (now beneath the ocean), one group of humans crossed it, marking the first group to make their way into the Americas.
It was believed that the Clovis people were the first to cross the land bridge and make a settlement in Clovis, New Mexico.
Archaeologists and geneticists have believed the "Clovis First Theory" for years. The discovery of where they lived, pointed to the fact that they lived in their location around 13,000 years ago. This fits well into the timeline of when the Bering Land Mass would have been able to cross.
However, with the discovery of the giant sloth bones in Brazil and other archaeological sites in the Americas coming to light, humans may have come to the Americas much earlier than 13,000 years ago.
The problem with accepting this theory is that archaeologists want something tangible to date back 5,000 to 10,000 years before the accepted theory that the first to come to the Americas was the Clovis people. But, with items used by these ancient humans being made of organic materials, it may be hard to locate artifacts.
But, with the discovery of the giant sloth bones being manipulated by humans and the fact that they can be dated thousands of years before the Clovis people came to the Americas, strong evidence is showing humans came to the Americas than was believed a century ago.
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Why The Pleistocene Overkill Hypothesis Is Being Reconsidered
Since the 1960s, the Pleistocene Overkill hypothesis has been widely recognized by researchers as a valid reason as to why megafauna went extinct during the Quaternary extinction event. This is because it was during this time that many researchers believe that the Paleoindians came to the Americas.
Approximately 12,000 years ago, a massive extinction event began. During this time, 57 species of large mammals went extinct. Given that before this period, it is believed that "one species went extinct every 40,000 years", the extinction event was devastating for mammals at the time.
Many researchers have believed that the Paleoindians were responsible for killing massive numbers of these animals with their hunting weapons, as there was no evidence to prove that humans were in the Americas before this time. However, with more sites being uncovered around the world, including in the Americas, it may be that the Pleistocene Overkill theory needs to be reconsidered.
Specifically, the uncovering of giant sloth bones at the archaeological site, Santa Elina in Brazil, lends credence to humans being in the Americas before the extinction event.
The artifacts uncovered in Santa Elina are estimated to be 27,000 years old. This would put humans in the Americas 10,000 years before it was first believed they settled there.
Artifacts specifically used to prove this point are "jewelry" that was carved from the sloth bones, according to University of Sao Paulo, researcher Mírian Pacheco.
"We believe it was intentionally altered and used by ancient people as jewelry or adornment." - Mírian Pacheco
Pacheco went on to state that the bones worked on were not old fossils. Instead, they were "fresh bones" being carved in the days or weeks after the sloth died. This was proven by analyzing "chemical changes" that happen to bone as it fossilizes, utilizing technology that was not around 30 years ago.
While some archaeologists and researchers are excited about the findings and are willing to accept that humans were in the Americas before originally believed, others remain skeptical.
"There's still a big debate." - Mírian Pacheco
The problem at this point is that evidence is continuing to be discovered that does not fit the timeline anymore, according to paleoanthropologist Briana Pobiner at the Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program. Because of this, Pobiner believes more questions need to be asked, rather than just accepting the old standard.
"It was a nice story for a while, when all the timing lined up. But it doesn't really work so well anymore." - Briana Pobiner
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While the debate is still out about what caused the megafauna to go extinct, there are more questions that need to be asked and answered. This can only be done if researchers and archaeologists have open minds and are willing to put older theories aside as more evidence is discovered, not just in the Americas, but around the world.