The remains of the glyptodont, belonging to the genus Neosclerocalyptus, an ancient relative of the current mules and hairy ones that became extinct 10,000 years agoshowed cut marks that followed patterns similar to those seen on the bones of animals consumed by ancient hunter-gatherers.
“The marks we found were initially linear marks without any other specification. More detailed analysis allowed us to determine that they were cut marks and the only ones who could have made them were humans.”said Mariano del Papa, a graduate in biological anthropology and first author of the research published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE.
After analyzing the bones found in 2015 in Merlo, on the Reconquista River, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Scientists determined that this event occurred during the early stages of the Pleistocene period and represents a contribution to the discussion about the date of human presence in America..
“The peculiarity and significance of this discovery is that these cut marks from humans had never been found in these animals and The second and most important thing is its age, which is 21,000 years old,” said paleontologist Martín de los Reyes.
“By that date, there is no record in the Southern Cone of South America and “These would be the first evidence of humans in Argentina and the Southern Cone of South America.”added De los Reyes, second author of the publication.
The scientists agreed that this work questions the current models of settlement in America.which suggest that the first humans entered the continent about 16,000 years ago, Although for some time now, much older evidence has begun to appear in Brazil, Canada, the United States and Mexico, among other places.
“Through this study we are contributing many elements to a discussion that is already quite rich and interesting and changing the traditional paradigm that tells us about a specific moment of the arrival of humans to America.”said anthropologist Miguel Delgado.
“Here we are showing that for the Southern Cone and the entire southern region of the continent there was no such clear evidence as we have here.”, concluded the researcher from the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (Conicet) and professor at the National University of La Plata.
