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North America’s oldest human footprints tell a tale of ice age chaos
Yahoo • • science
Key Points:
- New analysis confirms the oldest known human footprints in North America, found at White Sands National Park, date back to the last ice age, approximately 23,500–21,700 years ago, predating previous estimates by several millennia.
- Researchers used advanced radiocarbon dating and examined prehistoric pollen grains from the footprints to reconstruct detailed environmental conditions experienced by these early humans.
- The study revealed that within a single generation, humans witnessed dramatic environmental changes, including shifts from conifer forests to oak and sage plains, and fluctuating lake levels in the region.
- These findings challenge earlier models of human migration into North America, which suggested arrival around 16,000–12,000 years ago via Beringia, indicating a much earlier and sustained human presence.
- The footprints were found alongside those of Ice Age megafauna such as mammoths, giant sloths, and dire wolves, highlighting the diverse ecosystem inhabited by these early humans.
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