People in the Americas were believed to have existed a little later, but new research suggests that humans could've been in the Americas earlier than previously expected.
This comes after recent report on a new study says that early sloth bones were modified by humans, challenging the initially believed timeline.
Humans in the Americas
According to News Week, new research suggests how humans could've been living in the Americas way before what was previously thought. Their study suggests that humans could've been in the Americas thousands of years ago.
Scientists published their findings on the Proceeding of the Royal Society B journal regarding how humans could've been in the Americas earlier than previously believed due to the case of discovered giant sloth bones. The sloth bones were modified by what was believed to be prehistoric humans.
These findings were located in central Brazil, estimated 25,000 to 27,000 years ago, much earlier than previously believed. However, not all researchers were convinced of the findings, sharing their criticism against the study.
News Week reports how another researcher, who didn't participate in the study, shared his skepticism regarding the claims made. This was while yet another researcher affirmed it, saying the study had "important" implications.
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Current Beliefs
The current widespread belief is that humans happened to be in the Americas approximately more than 13,500 years ago, before the Clovis culture. The National Endowment for the Humanities notes that the first North Americans, the Clovis people, existed in the Americas approximately 13,000 to 13,500 years ago.
Other researchers also support the belief that humans were in the Americas around 19,000 to 26,000 years ago. The Smithsonian Magazine reports other studies that suggest humans arrived in North America at least 20,000 years ago.
The United States Geological Survey described this time as during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), during the Pleistocene epoch's last phase. This was when glaciers covered a significant portion of the Earth's surface at 8%.
News Week reports that this was when ice sheets and glaciers peaked during the last ice age. However, there's still much skepticism regarding evidence of humans in the Americas before 16,000 years ago.
Another BBC report highlighted certain findings in Brazil with stone tools dated 26,000 to 30,000 years ago, suggesting the existence of humans in that timeline as well. However, despite this discovery, other researchers said this wasn't enough to argue that this was when the earliest humans were in the Americas.
With the latest study, it's being suggested that humans could've been in the Americas from 25,000 to 27,000 years ago. They draw their research from sloth remains found in central Brazil.
Where the Theory Stems From
The sloth remains were found in central Brazil's Santa Elina limestone rock shelter, which, according to the researchers, were modified by prehistoric humans. This was because of how three giant sloth bones showed evidence of modification. They showed signs of polishing, scratching, and intentionally-created holes.
These bones were among other osteoderms found in the shelter, along with giant sloth remains. However, osteoderms are not a new occurrence, as these things were often used as personal ornaments.
Thaís Pansani from the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil, another author of the paper, shared how previously there wasn't any investigative work done toward osteoderms to show "robust evidence" of the modification origins and timing.
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