Scientists believe that all aboriginal American people descend froma single populationthat used to inhabit Beringia , a part that comprises Alaska , eastern Siberia , and westerly Canada along with several lands that are now below water .
Very niggling is known about the ancient Beringians but a new discovery in Russia might finally give us some clues . Researchers from the Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Studies of the North ( IHRISN ) have uncover a Paleolithic site on the remote island of Stolbovoy , which is located 184 kilometers ( 114 miles ) from the mainland .
As reported byThe Siberian Times , the squad discovered tool that could be up to 300,000 long time previous , although the team admits more tryout are necessary to sustain their exact age . If this is support , it will be the first concrete grounds of people inhabiting Beringia .
“ We suppose the site is Palaeolithic . We suppose these implements we have find are hundred of M years old , but so far we have no iron proof , ” researcher Tomas Simokaitis toldThe Siberian Times . “ If , with clip , we prove that it is Palaeolithic , this will be the first readable grounds of homo on the Beringia land . ”
The northernmost palaeolithic settlement confirm so far is located in Yana , 370 kilometre ( 230 miles ) Dixie . The Yana site date back 32,500 eld ago , so this has the potential to be even older . As far as we know , Beringia begin to sink approximately 15,000 years ago .
At the time Stolbovoy was connected to the mainland , near the estuary of the jumbo Paleo - Lena River . This is what led the research worker to explore the remote island . Comparing modern geological information with models of what north - westerly Beringia could have looked like , the squad suspected that the island might have been an of import site for ancient man .
“ We do be after the further research , ” Simokaitis said . “ If not this twelvemonth , then decidedly the next year , we will gather samples . We will seek to dig into the permafrost , and get to the control surface . For now we have just collected stuff from the aerofoil . ”
It will be interesting to see if more is uncovered on the island and to find out exactly how former these cock are .
[ H / T : The Siberian Times ]
