Clovis age Western stemmed projectile points and human coprolites at the Paisley Caves
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The Paisley Caves in Oregon record the oldest directly dated human remains (DNA) in the Western Hemisphere. More than 100 high-precision radiocarbon dates show that deposits containing artifacts and coprolites ranging in age from 12,450 to 2295 C years ago are well stratified. Western Stemmed projectile points were recovered in deposits dated to 11,070 to 11,340 C years ago, a time contemporaneous with or preceding the Clovis technology. There is no evidence of diagnostic Clovis technology at the site. These two distinct technologies were parallel developments, not the product of a unilinear technological evolution. "Blind testing" analysis of coprolites by an independent laboratory confirms the presence of human DNA in specimens of pre-Clovis age. The colonization of the Americas involved multiple technologically divergent, and possibly genetically divergent, founding groups.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Science |
Volume | 337 |
Issue number | 6091 |
Pages (from-to) | 223-228 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISSN | 0036-8075 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 13 Jul 2012 |
ID: 48848101