New Evidence Complicates the Story of the Peopling of the Americas
New Evidence Complicates the Story of the Peopling of the Americas
New techniques have shown that people reached the New World far earlier than the long-standing estimate of 13,000 years ago, but scientists still debate exactly when humans arrived on the continent—and how.
New techniques have shown that people reached the New World far earlier than the long-standing estimate of 13,000 years ago, but scientists still debate exactly when humans arrived on the continent—and how.
peopling of the Americas
Infographic: Mixed Evidence on Human Occupation of the Americas
Emma Yasinski | May 2, 2022 | 3 min read
Diverse lines of evidence point to humans’ presence in the New World long before the dawn of Clovis culture. But rewriting this chapter of human history raises many questions about how these early people came to inhabit these continents.
Ancient Human Footprints in New Mexico Dated to Ice Age
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Sep 23, 2021 | 4 min read
Researchers excavated human footprints out of a small bluff next to a dried-up playa lake and radiocarbon-dated embedded seeds to around 23,000 years ago. Their results suggest that people entered the Americas thousands of years earlier than the accepted estimate.
African American Genomes Yield Insight into Slavery Practices
Amanda Heidt | Jul 23, 2020 | 5 min read
A massive study finds that regional differences in how slaves were treated throughout the Americas are reflected in the DNA of present-day Americans of African descent.
Artifacts Point to Humans Living in Mexico 33,000 Years Ago
Abby Olena, PhD | Jul 22, 2020 | 4 min read
If confirmed, the result means people migrated to North America much earlier than thought, but some experts remain unconvinced.
New Study Contradicts Previous Idea About Origins of South Americans
Sukanya Charuchandra | Jun 1, 2018 | 2 min read
Divergent human lineages of North America intermingled before setting off to establish populations of Central and South America.
Paper Suggesting Major Revision to Human Migration Stirs Debate
Bob Grant | Apr 27, 2017 | 2 min read
Scientists are criticizing the claim that hominins were in North America more than 100,000 years earlier than the currently accepted estimation.
Ancient DNA Sheds Light on Peopling of Americas
Bob Grant | Oct 28, 2015 | 2 min read
An analysis of centuries-old genetic material from two infants who lived near the Bering Strait suggests that people came to North America in a single wave from Asia about 25,000 years ago.