Archaeologists from the Nefud Desert in Saudi Arabia have discovered the oldest-ever human footprints on the Arabian Peninsula, estimated to be 115,000 years old. The footprints were found amidst hundreds of prehistoric animal prints and were found in a mudhole, which was found after time and weather wiped the overlying sediment away. The discovery was made in a uniquely preserved mudhole and indicates human activity on the cusp of a subsequent ice age. These footprints were surrounded by animals but not hunted animals, suggesting humans were just thirsty. The researchers also found that these footprints were made in unique conditions that formed a kind of "fingerprint" for pinning them all to the same timeframe. The lake that forms Alathar today was likely part of a prehistoric highway that drew all large animals in the area.