Scientists find that Aborigines have been in Australia longer than previously thought

Source: www.artdaily.org --- Thursday, July 20, 2017
Aboriginal people have been in Australia for at least 65,000 years, longer than previously thought, roaming the area alongside giant megafauna, scientists said in a finding that sheds fresh light on when modern humans left Africa. Australian Aborigines are believed to be custodians of the oldest continuous culture on the planet, but when they first arrived has been a contested issue. Previous estimates have ranged from 47,000 to 60,000 years ago. A key site in the debate is Madjedbebe, a remote rock shelter in northern Australia's Kakadu region that is the oldest-known human occupation area in the country. New evidence uncovered by a team of archaeologists and dating specialists during a dig there, including the oldest ground-edge stone axe technology in the world, has pushed back their presence even further. The findings, published in the journal Nature this week, set a new minimum age for the dispersal of modern humans out of Africa and across south Asia. ...

from Australia http://ift.tt/2ucM8bS