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Archaeology

Early signs of human presence in Australia

Nature volume 547, pages 285–286 (2017)Cite this article

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It emerges that people reached Australia earlier than was thought. This finding casts light on the technology used by the travellers, and their possible interactions with animal species that became extinct. See Article p.306

When did ancient humans, dispersed from Africa, reach some of the most distant corners of the world? And which technologies were associated with these early travellers? On page 306, Clarkson et al.1 report an analysis of archaeological fieldwork in Australia, and propose a revised timeline for the peopling of this continent.

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Figure 1: The optically stimulated luminescence dating technique.
Figure 2: Excavation at Madjedbebe, Australia.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, 85287, Arizona, USA

    Curtis W. Marean

  2. Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

    Curtis W. Marean

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  1. Curtis W. Marean
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Correspondence to Curtis W. Marean.

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Marean, C. Early signs of human presence in Australia. Nature 547, 285–286 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/547285a

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