Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How the discovery of an ancient mastodon ignited debate over humans’ arrival in North America
LA TIMES ^ | Dec. 22, 2017 | Thomas Curwen

Posted on 12/22/2017 10:34:31 AM PST by PIF

Accidental find that could revolutionize North America Archeology


"Jim Paces, a geochronologist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, took dozens of slices from a rib and two femurs. Each slice, no wider than a millimeter, was dissolved in nitric acid.

"The resulting solution contained trace amounts of uranium and thorium, which Paces extracted. After measuring those concentrates in a mass spectrometer, Paces concluded that the bones were 130,700 years old, plus or minus 9,400 years."


"The conclusion seemed clear: Hominids, wandering through Southern California, had found a mastodon carcass and gone to work. They hauled cobblestones to the site and pounded the bones, cut out the marrow for food and broke off splinters for tools."

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Education; History; Society
KEYWORDS: dna; mastadon; pleistocene
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-43 last
To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

Wonder if in the Old West that is why they said that they saw the “Elephant”


41 posted on 12/22/2017 5:03:02 PM PST by TexasTransplant (Did You Screw up your Life? You get a “Second Chance” every second.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: Wissa

Got buffalo bone grips on my Colt M1991 .45 .

Puuuuurty !


42 posted on 12/22/2017 7:33:46 PM PST by snooter55 (People may doubt what you say, but they will always believe what you do)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: shotgun

No shortage of pictures of buffalo bone piles/hide piles out there. Bison bone sold for up to $15 a ton and was useful for many purposes.

http://scribol.com/anthropology-and-history/history/the-near-annihilation-of-americas-buffalo-in-pictures/


43 posted on 12/23/2017 1:20:31 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-43 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson