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Fossil study could rewrite human history

Sunday, 30 April 2017 2:05 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 30 April 2017 2:06 PM ]

A sample of human fossil.

A California Scientist has defended the findings of his fossil study that could be a breakthrough in studying human history.

Paleontologist Tom Demoray had earlier proposed that humans reached the Americas as long as 130,000 years ago which is at least a hundred thousand years earlier than previously thought.

The controversial study relies on mastodon bones that are broken by a hammer-like tool leading to the conclusion that Homo Sapiens were not the first of the human family to get to the New World. But some scientists have voiced skepticism of the research.

They hold alternative explanations suggesting that the bones may have been broken recently by heavy construction equipment rather than by ancient humans. Demoray says their criticism is falsified and that the findings are authentic.

Paleontologist Don Swanson points at rock fragments near a large horizontal mastodon tusk fragment at the San Diego Natural History Museum in San Diego, California, US, in this handout photo received April 26, 2017. © Reuters

Other experts have commented on the simplicity of the methods used for the research. They say that while the methodology is not flawed per se, collecting ancient DNA from remains might help solidify its claim. If the discovery holds up in the face of further experiments, it could be one of the most shattering revisions of history.

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