Highest Ice Age Human Settlements Found in the Peruvian Andes
Archaeologists say they’ve found the highest-known remains of Ice Age human settlements in the southern Peruvian Andes, dated to more than 12,000 years old.
The two sites, described in the journal Science, sit higher than 4,000 meters (more than 13,100 feet) above sea level and indicate that humans may have adapted to the extremely harsh climate far sooner than many researchers had expected.
Related story: Europe the birthplace of art? Cave art shows Indonesia has a claim
Deborah Netburn
“These sites extend the residence time of humans above 4,000 [meters above sea level] by nearly a millennium,” the study authors wrote, “implying more moderate late-glacial Andean environments and greater physiological capabilities for Pleistocene humans than previously assumed.”
More: Highest Ice Age Human Settlements Found in the Peruvian Andes - LA Times