3 sources·Science

New Evidence Challenges Timeline of Human Arrival in the Americas

Recent discoveries suggest ancient humans coexisted with megafauna in the Americas long before previously believed, reshaping our understanding of early human history.

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Updated: Dec 20th, 2024, 10:51 AM ET

Summary

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New archaeological findings from sites in Brazil and other regions indicate that humans may have arrived in the Americas over 27,000 years ago and lived alongside giant ground sloths and other megafauna. This contradicts the previous theory of 'Pleistocene overkill' and suggests that rather than causing extinction, early humans cohabited with these animals for millennia. Investigations at the Santa Elina site reveal signs of human manipulation of sloth bones, indicating a complex interaction between species that may rewrite the history of early human life in the New World.

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New Evidence Challenges Timeline of Human Arrival in the Americas - Pano News