First Americans May Have Been European
The first humans to spread across North America may have been seal hunters from France and Spain.
This runs counter to the long-held belief that the first human entry into the Americas was a crossing of a land-ice bridge that spanned the Bering Strait about 13,500 years ago.
The new thinking was outlined here Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Nothing new here, just a bit more on Stanford's Solutrean connection. It does bring in another idea, that if possibly following marine animals on a northern route on ice floes.
And from marine animals to kelp: Ancient People Followed 'Kelp Highway' to America, Researcher Says
Ancient humans from Asia may have entered the Americas following an ocean highway made of dense kelp.
The new finding lends strength to the "coastal migration theory," whereby early maritime populations boated from one island to another, hunting the bountiful amounts of sea creatures that live in kelp forests.
This research was presented here Sunday at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science by anthropologist Jon Erlandson of the University of Oregon.
Again, another hypothesis waiting for data.