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 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 language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 223-228 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 337 |
Issue number | 6091 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 13 Jul 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |