New research has challenged previous theories about human migration to the Americas by suggesting that early humans lived alongside giant ground sloths for thousands of years. The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, indicates that humans may have inhabited South America as far back as 27,000 years ago.
A fossil found at a laboratory in São Paulo, Brazil, shows signs of human modification, including deliberately polished edges and a small hole near one edge. The fossil dates back to around 27,000 years ago and suggests that ancient people used the sloth’s bones as jewelry or adornment.
Researchers analyzed chemical changes in the bone to determine when the osteoderms, bony structures on the sloths’ backs, were likely modified. They found that these modifications occurred shortly after the sloths died, suggesting direct interaction between humans and giant ground sloths.
The discovery challenges the long-held “Clovis-first” theory, which posited that early humans arrived in the Americas via an ice-free corridor in North America around 11,000 to 13,000 years ago. The new findings contribute to a growing body of evidence that humans may have inhabited the Americas much earlier than previously believed.
Other archaeological sites support this revised timeline. At New Mexico’s White Sands National Park, researchers uncovered human footprints dated to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago, alongside tracks of giant mammals from the same period. The findings suggest that humans existed alongside these animals for at least 10,000 years without causing their immediate extinction.
The discovery raises questions about the lives of the first Americans and suggests that they may have spent millennia sharing prehistoric savannas and wetlands with enormous beasts such as mastodons, saber-toothed cats, and dire wolves.
Source: https://www.jpost.com/science/science-around-the-world/article-834393