New research presented at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union has once again sparked a discussion about when humans first arrived in North America. While traditional thinking assumed that migration occurred through an ice-free corridor about 13,000 years ago, recent archaeological and genetic findings challenge this theory. The discovery of footprints dating back 23,000 years in New Mexico and evidence of coastal settlements on the western coast of Canada dated to 14,000 years ago suggest that early humans may have arrived much earlier than previously believed.
One of the theories proposed by scientists is the “kelp highway” hypothesis, which suggests that the first Americans traveled along the Pacific coast in boats, utilizing the marine resources. However, new research raises questions about this theory. Paleoclimate reconstructions of the Northwest Pacific during the Paleozoic era indicate that sea ice could have served as a migration route for humans. It was a land bridge between Asia and North America that emerged during the last glacial maximum, causing a significant drop in sea level and potentially creating a pathway for people moving southward along the Pacific coast.
Scientists have also discovered that ocean currents during the last glacial maximum were twice as strong as they are today, making navigation along the coast extremely challenging. This discovery led scientists to consider alternative possibilities. If the early migrants were unable to sail against the current, they could have utilized sea ice as a platform. Evidence suggests that early humans were well adapted to winter conditions, supporting the idea that they found a way to navigate on sea ice.
To better understand the oceanic conditions during key periods of human migration, researchers used data from fossilized plankton to develop climate models. These models provide information on the feasibility of using sea ice as a migration route.
While the debate continues about when the first humans arrived in North America, increasing archaeological resources and genetic evidence, combined with climate reconstructions, suggest that early humans may have utilized sea ice as a means of migration. This alternative hypothesis challenges previous assumptions and opens up new possibilities for exploring the history of human migration to the continent.
The source of the article is from the blog be3.sk