New discoveries from several archaeological sites in North and South America suggest that ancient people first arrived in the New World much earlier than scientists once thought.

Artifacts from the cave suggest people were living in North America much earlier than most scientists think. Researchers reported Wednesday, July 22, 2020, that the tools date to as early as 26,500 years ago, about 10,000 years before the generally accepted date for the earliest human presence in North America. (Ciprian Ardelean via AP)NEW YORK Stone tools found in a Mexican cave suggest that people were living in North America as early as about 26,500 years ago, much earlier than most scientists accept, a new study says. Its a new step in the difficult and contentious process of establishing when people arrived in North America from Asia. Ciprian Ardelean of the Autonomous University of Zacatecas and others say they found stone tools and debris from tool-making that they dated back as far as 26,500 years ago.