Three years ago, in the mysterious White Sands National Park, New Mexico, an intriguing enigma emerged: fossilized footprints estimated to be 21,000 to 23,000 years old.
The footprints created a challenge for supporters of conventional theories that suggested the arrival of humans in North America between 16 and 13 thousand years ago.
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(Image: USGS/Reproduction)
Due to its impact, this discovery triggered controversies among archaeologists, questioning the accuracy of the dates.
To solve the mystery, a team led by Jeff Pigati, a geologist at the US Geological Survey (USGS), searched for additional evidence.
The archaeologists' first reaction was skepticism, asking about the solidity of the dating that supported the idea of humans in North America during the Ice Age.
How to solve the riddle? Pigati and his team embarked on a search for other sources of evidence that could shed light on the mystery.
Initially, the original study had determined ages using radiocarbon of aquatic plant seeds Ruppia cirrhosa, present in fossils.
However, there was a potential problem. Aquatic plants have a peculiar way of absorbing carbon, taking it from the water instead of the air.
This could lead to mistaken ages, inflating the lifespan of these surprising footprints. Therefore, the team needed to confirm the revelations and eliminate the fog of doubt.
To this end, scientists focused their efforts on an innovative method called optically luminescent stimulated to date when the quartz grains present in the footprint layers were exposed to sunlight.
In this regard, the results revealed that the footprints were at least 21,500 years old. Three valuable clues, a spectacular confirmation.
But what does this age really mean? In addition to supporting the surprising chronology, the researchers were able to paint a picture of the environment at the time the footprints were made.
The pollen found dates back to plants that thrive in conditions glacial cold and humid, a remarkable image that contrasts with the pollen of modern beaches, with the current desert vegetation.
So what these remains tell us about the past is a captivating enigma that continues to surprise and intrigue the scientific community.
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