Three pendants made from the osteoderms of a giant ground sloth have been discovered at the Santa Elina rock shelter in Brazil. The layer the bones were found in dates to between 25,000 and 27,000 years ago. If the researchers are correct about the dating, this is some of the earliest evidence of humans in the Americas — and this is South America, which would presumably take longer to reach (via the Bering Strait). Thaís Pansani told Live Science, “Our evidence reinforces the interpretat...| www.ancientbeat.com
Archaeologists have analyzed ritual spaces and monumental structures across Polynesia, questioning the idea that Rapa Nui (Easter Island) developed in isolation following its initial settlement.| phys.org
Evidence from a 33,000-year-old sloth bone in Uruguay suggests early human hunting of megafauna in South America before the Ice Age.| Archaeology News Online Magazine
Neanderthals used heat and water to extract fat from bones 125,000 years ago, revealing advanced food processing skills.| Archaeology News Online Magazine