Member-only story
Humans appeared in America much earlier than thought. And they made jewelry from the bones of giant sloths
Analysis of prehistoric jewelry made from animal bone has revealed that the first humans appeared in South America at least 25,000 years ago. That’s much earlier than previously assumed.
Scientists have been trying for years to figure out when humans first left Eurasia and arrived in the Americas. Archaeological evidence indicates, humans appeared in North America about 14,000 years ago. During the last Ice Age, Asian peoples entered the continent through the ancient Beringia landmass, which connected present-day Siberia with areas of northern Canada and Alaska.
Three artifacts that could change knowledge about the history of human migration
However, a recent study by Brazilian scientists may shed complete light on the history of Homo sapiens migration. The researchers analyzed a prehistoric pendant found in the Santa Elina region of Mato Grosso state in central Brazil.
This is a site where traces of human presence had already been found. Among other things, archaeologists here discovered cave paintings, figurines, stone tools, and animal osteoderms (mineralized organs that are embedded in the dermis) that had holes hollowed out by humans.
