Clovis Age Western Stemmed Projectile Points and Human Coprolites at the Paisley Caves

D. L. Jenkins, L. G. Davis, T. W. Stafford, P. F. Campos, B. Hockett, G. T. Jones, L. S. Cummings, C. Yost, T. J. Connolly, R. M. Yohe, S. C. Gibbons, M. Raghavan, M. Rasmussen, J. L. A. Paijmans, M. Hofreiter, B. M. Kemp, J. L. Barta, C. Monroe, M. T. P. Gilbert, E. Willerslev

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Paisley Caves in Oregon record the oldest directly dated human remains (DNA) in the WesternHemisphere. More than 100 high-precision radiocarbon dates show that deposits containingartifacts and coprolites ranging in age from 12,450 to 2295 14 C years ago are well stratified.Western Stemmed projectile points were recovered in deposits dated to 11,070 to 11,340 14 C yearsago, a time contemporaneous with or preceding the Clovis technology. There is no evidence ofdiagnostic 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 anindependent laboratory confirms the presence of human DNA in specimens of pre-Clovis age.The colonization of the Americas involved multiple technologically divergent, and possiblygenetically divergent, founding groups.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)223-228
Number of pages6
JournalScience
Volume337
Issue number6091
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Jul 2012
Externally publishedYes

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