This post will discuss a research paper published in 2024, that describes man-made cuts on the bones of an extinct megafaunal mammal, some 21,000 years ago in the Argentine Pampas in Buenos Aires, very close to the city of Buenos Aires.
The research article is the following (notice its title!): Del Papa M, De Los Reyes M, Poiré DG, Rascovan N, Jofré G, Delgado M (2024) Anthropic cut marks in extinct megafauna bones from the Pampean region (Argentina) at the last glacial maximum. PLoS ONE 19(7): e0304956. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0304956
The paper's abstract clearly states an old date for human presence in Southern South America: " we present the analysis of fossil remains with cutmarks belonging to a specimen of Neosclerocalyptus (Xenarthra, Glyptodontidae), found on the banks of the Reconquista River, northeast of the Pampean region (Argentina), whose AMS 14C dating corresponds to the Last Glacial Maximum (21,090–20,811 cal YBP)."
The article concludes, after discussing the subject in depth, that:
"Our results, fit with recent findings showing evidence of human occupation between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago in Central and South America as well as North America. Finally, a recent study has suggested that the upper limits of the chronological range for megamammal species commonly exploited by humans in South America date back to 18 k cal BP while the archaeological signal goes back to 16 k cal BP, indicating, along with the evidence provided by others sites mentioned above, that the archaeological signal of the human occupation of southern South America is consistently and progressively reaching the Last Glacial Maximum. Taken together, these evidences allow envisages a new perspective regarding the timing of the initial entry of humans to the Americas."
So this is another very old site that reveals a very early presence of human beings in the southern reaches of South America 21,000 years ago. When did these people enter the New World? Possibly 30 or more kya. Again, I wonder how many similar or even older sites are out there, waiting to be discovered?
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