This molecular time capsule showed them that even if the entirety of the ice-free corridor was open by 13,000 years ago, it wouldn’t have had vegetation until about 12,600 years ago and animals living within it until about 12,500 years ago. The corridor’s “viability” date would have constrained the movement of people through it, as they would have needed things to eat during their trek through the 2,000-kilometer corridor (24). In addition, as paleoecologist Scott Elias notes, the melting of the enormous ice sheets would have littered the corridor with huge amounts of rock, mud debris, chunks
...more
