A 15,600-year-old footprint discovered in southern Chile is believed to be the oldest ever found in the Americas, according to researchers.
 |
| An ancient footprint is pictured in Osorno, Chile after its discovery in 2010 [Credit: Universidad Austral de Chile, Laboratorio de Sitio Pilauco] |
The footprint was first discovered in 2010 by a student at the Universidad Austral of Chile. Scientists then worked for years to rule out the possibility that the print may have belonged to some other species of animal, and to determine the fossil’s estimated age.
Karen Moreno, a paleontologist with the Universidad Austral who has overseen the studies, said researchers had also found bones of animals near the site, including those of primitive elephants, but determined that the footprint was evidence of human presence.
 |
| A) Photography of the original sedimentary structure attributed to a human footprint that was excavated at the Pilauco site. A sediment lump is apparently embedded within the trackbed (star). Scale bar 5 cm. B) Three-dimensional model in dorsal view with a virtual 45° tilt toward the south to facilitate the observation of profile lines 1–2, 3–4 and 5–6 drawn on the 3D model surface (123Catch from Autodesk and trial version of Rhino4, McNeel &Associates). C) Profile lines: [1–2] crossing from the “heel”, “medial longitudinal arch” and “hallux”; [3–4] passing by the midline. Notice that the sediment lump is 2.1 cm high from the footprint base; and [5–6] line passing through the “heel”, “lateral longitudinal arch” and “lateral digits” [Credit: Karen Moreno et al. 2019] |
Moreno said this was the first evidence of humans in the Americas older than 12,000 years.
«Little by little in South America we’re starting to find sites with evidence of human presence, but this is this oldest in the Americas,» she said.
The newer findings were published in the latest edition of the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS One.
Source: Reuters [April 27, 2019]
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий