Revealing Intriguing Footprints that Disrupt the Theory of First Americans

Skeptics will have a harder time doubting the existence of humans in North America more than 20,000 years ago following an expanded look at footprints left by a group along the shores of an Ice Age lake in what is now New Mexico. The 2021 study, which dates seeds embedded in the prints at White Sands National Park to between 21,000 and 23,000 years old, challenges the scientific consensus that humans first arrived in the Western Hemisphere via a land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska about 13,000 years ago, according to the Washington Post. Some critics have questioned whether the radiocarbon dating might have been affected by the aquatic plant ditchgrass, whose seeds could have absorbed older carbon in the water during photosynthesis.

In a recent study published in Science, researchers have confirmed the date by analyzing other elements found in the same sediment layer as the footprints, according to the AP. These elements include 75,000 grains of pollen from coniferous trees, which were dated using radiocarbon dating and found to be 22,600 to 23,400 years old, consistent with the seed results mentioned in the Washington Post. Additionally, the researchers used a dating method called “optically stimulated luminescence” to measure the energy stored in quartz crystals, determining them to be 21,500 years old, with a margin of error of 2,000 years. University of Arizona archaeologist Edward Jolie describes the study as a “master class in how you do this,” stating that the researchers have provided extraordinary evidence to support their findings.

These findings come as no surprise to Indigenous people, who have long believed that their ancestors occupied the continent for tens or possibly hundreds of thousands of years. In her book published in 2022, Indigenous archaeologist Paulette FC Steeves argues that humans have been in the Western Hemisphere for over 60,000 years, and potentially over 100,000 years. She points to evidence such as lithic flakes found in Calico, California, estimated to be 50,000 to 80,000 years old, according to Canadian Geographic. However, despite the increasing amount of evidence challenging long-held assumptions, some scientists remain unconvinced. As Steeves mentions to the Washington Post, “there is still a lot of racism and bias in American archaeology.” (Read more archaeology stories.)