- The Monte Verde site in Chile has long been considered the strongest evidence for the earliest human settlement in the Americas, with previous findings dating back about 14,500 years.
- A new study published in the journal Science challenges this established timeline, suggesting Monte Verde is significantly younger, potentially no older than 8,200 years.
- Researchers reinterpreted the site's geology, identifying a volcanic ash layer from 11,000 years ago, implying that all artefacts and wood found above this layer must be more recent.
- The new findings are controversial, with several scientists, including those involved in the original excavations, disputing the conclusions due to concerns about sampling methods and the disregard for previously dated artefacts.
- A revised date for Monte Verde could reopen discussions about the most likely routes early humans took to reach the Americas, although other pre-Clovis sites have since been discovered in North America.
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