Live Science Today: Monte Verde controversy and heatwave lashes the West
By Ben Turner
Published on March 20, 2026.
A controversial study suggests that a key archaeological site in Chile, Monte Verde, could be thousands of years younger than first thought, potentially overturning the history of when humans settled South America. The site, one of the oldest human settlements in the Americas, is believed to be 14,500 years old and could be more than 10,000 years older than current thought. However, other experts have called the study "egregiously poor geological work." A historic heatwave is set to set monthly records in over 140 cities across the American West. Scientists in China have developed a system to teach humanoid robots movements skills based on fragmentary human data. The discovery of the site in 1976 changed the way archaeologists see the arrival of the first Americans on the continent.
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