双语新闻：研究表明:美国新墨西哥州的脚印可能是人类最古老的标志
New research confirms that a fossil of human footprints found in the U.S. state of New Mexico likely represents the oldest direct evidence of humans living in the Americas.
新的研究证实，在美国新墨西哥州发现的人类足迹化石可能是人类在美洲生活的最古老的直接证据。
The footprints were discovered at the edge of the remains of an ancient lake in White Sands National Park in southern New Mexico. The research, published recently in Science, suggests the fossil dates back to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago.
这些脚印是在新墨西哥州南部白沙国家公园一个古老湖泊的遗迹边缘发现的。最近发表在《科学》杂志上的这项研究表明，这块化石的历史可以追溯到21000到23000年前。
The estimated age of the footprints was first reported in Science in 2021. But some researchers questioned the dates. Researchers wondered whether seeds from lake plants used in the early dating may have taken in ancient carbon from the lake. If so, this could have changed the radiocarbon test result by thousands of years.
2021年，《科学》杂志首次报道了这些脚印的估计年龄。但一些研究人员质疑这些日期。研究人员想知道，在早期年代测定中使用的湖泊植物的种子是否从湖中吸收了古代的碳。如果是这样，这可能会使放射性碳测试结果改变数千年。
The new study presents two additional lines of evidence for the older date range. It uses two different materials found at the site, ancient tree pollen and quartz grains.
这项新研究为更早的日期范围提供了两条额外的证据。它使用了在现场发现的两种不同的材料，古树花粉和石英颗粒。
The reported age of the footprints questions the belief that humans did not reach the Americas until about 15,000 years ago. That was a few thousand years before rising sea levels covered the Bering land bridge between Asia and North America.
据报道，这些脚印的年代对人类直到大约15000年前才到达美洲的说法提出了质疑。那是在海平面上升覆盖连接亚洲和北美的白令海峡大陆桥之前的几千年。
Thomas Urban is a scientist who studies ancient humans at Cornell University in New York. He was involved in the 2021 study but not the new one. He said it is an area "... that's always been controversial..." Urban said such studies are important because they deal with the last part "of the peopling of the world."
Thomas Urban是纽约康奈尔大学研究古人类的科学家。他参与了2021年的研究，但没有参与新的研究。他说，这是一个“……这一直是有争议的……”厄本说，这些研究很重要，因为它们涉及“世界人口”的最后一部分。
Thomas Stafford is an independent scientist who studies ancient humans and the Earth in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was not involved in the study. He said that while he "was a bit skeptical before," he now believes it.
托马斯·斯塔福德是一位在新墨西哥州阿尔伯克基研究古人类和地球的独立科学家。他没有参与这项研究。他说，虽然他“以前有点怀疑”，但现在他相信了。
Stafford said it is an important finding if three completely different methods show findings from a similar time period.
斯塔福德说，如果三种完全不同的方法得出了类似时期的结果，这是一个重要的发现。
The new study separated about 75,000 individual pieces of pollen from the same area in rocks where the footprints where found.
这项新研究从发现脚印的岩石的同一区域分离了大约75000个单独的花粉碎片。
Kathleen Springer is an Earth scientist researcher at the United States Geological Survey and helped write the new paper. She said the process of dating pollen is very difficult. She added that scientists believe radiocarbon dating land plants gives more correct results than dating plants living in water. But she added there needs to be a large enough number of plants to study.
凯瑟琳·斯普林格是美国地质调查局的地球科学家研究员，她帮助撰写了这篇新论文。她说确定花粉年代的过程非常困难。她补充说，科学家们认为放射性碳测年陆地植物比测年水中植物的结果更准确。但她补充说，需要有足够多的植物来研究。
The researchers also studied damage to the structure in ancient small pieces of quartz to produce an age estimate.
研究人员还研究了古代小块石英对结构的破坏，以估计其年龄。
Ancient footprints of any kind – left by humans or large animals – can give scientists some idea when they are from. They may record how and where people or animals walked and if their paths crossed. Animal footprints have also been found at White Sands.
任何种类的古代脚印——无论是人类还是大型动物留下的——都可以让科学家们知道它们来自哪里。它们可以记录人或动物如何行走，在哪里行走，以及他们的路径是否相交。在白沙也发现了动物脚印。
Other ancient sites in the Americas point to a similar time period. These include ancient art made from animal remains in Brazil. But scientists still question whether such materials really suggest that humans were living in the Americas then.
美洲的其他古代遗址也指向一个类似的时期。其中包括巴西用动物遗骸制作的古代艺术品。但科学家们仍然质疑这些材料是否真的表明人类当时生活在美洲。
Jennifer Raff is a scientist who studies ancient human genes at the University of Kansas. She was not involved in the study. Raff said, "White Sands is unique because there's no question these footprints were left by people, it's not ambiguous."
詹妮弗·拉夫是堪萨斯大学研究古代人类基因的科学家。她没有参与这项研究。拉夫说:“白沙是独一无二的，因为毫无疑问，这些脚印是人类留下的，这一点也不含糊。”
新的研究证实，在美国新墨西哥州发现的人类足迹化石可能是人类在美洲生活的最古老的直接证据。
The footprints were discovered at the edge of the remains of an ancient lake in White Sands National Park in southern New Mexico. The research, published recently in Science, suggests the fossil dates back to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago.
这些脚印是在新墨西哥州南部白沙国家公园一个古老湖泊的遗迹边缘发现的。最近发表在《科学》杂志上的这项研究表明，这块化石的历史可以追溯到21000到23000年前。
The estimated age of the footprints was first reported in Science in 2021. But some researchers questioned the dates. Researchers wondered whether seeds from lake plants used in the early dating may have taken in ancient carbon from the lake. If so, this could have changed the radiocarbon test result by thousands of years.
2021年，《科学》杂志首次报道了这些脚印的估计年龄。但一些研究人员质疑这些日期。研究人员想知道，在早期年代测定中使用的湖泊植物的种子是否从湖中吸收了古代的碳。如果是这样，这可能会使放射性碳测试结果改变数千年。
The new study presents two additional lines of evidence for the older date range. It uses two different materials found at the site, ancient tree pollen and quartz grains.
这项新研究为更早的日期范围提供了两条额外的证据。它使用了在现场发现的两种不同的材料，古树花粉和石英颗粒。
The reported age of the footprints questions the belief that humans did not reach the Americas until about 15,000 years ago. That was a few thousand years before rising sea levels covered the Bering land bridge between Asia and North America.
据报道，这些脚印的年代对人类直到大约15000年前才到达美洲的说法提出了质疑。那是在海平面上升覆盖连接亚洲和北美的白令海峡大陆桥之前的几千年。
Thomas Urban is a scientist who studies ancient humans at Cornell University in New York. He was involved in the 2021 study but not the new one. He said it is an area "... that's always been controversial..." Urban said such studies are important because they deal with the last part "of the peopling of the world."
Thomas Urban是纽约康奈尔大学研究古人类的科学家。他参与了2021年的研究，但没有参与新的研究。他说，这是一个“……这一直是有争议的……”厄本说，这些研究很重要，因为它们涉及“世界人口”的最后一部分。
Thomas Stafford is an independent scientist who studies ancient humans and the Earth in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was not involved in the study. He said that while he "was a bit skeptical before," he now believes it.
托马斯·斯塔福德是一位在新墨西哥州阿尔伯克基研究古人类和地球的独立科学家。他没有参与这项研究。他说，虽然他“以前有点怀疑”，但现在他相信了。
Stafford said it is an important finding if three completely different methods show findings from a similar time period.
斯塔福德说，如果三种完全不同的方法得出了类似时期的结果，这是一个重要的发现。
The new study separated about 75,000 individual pieces of pollen from the same area in rocks where the footprints where found.
这项新研究从发现脚印的岩石的同一区域分离了大约75000个单独的花粉碎片。
Kathleen Springer is an Earth scientist researcher at the United States Geological Survey and helped write the new paper. She said the process of dating pollen is very difficult. She added that scientists believe radiocarbon dating land plants gives more correct results than dating plants living in water. But she added there needs to be a large enough number of plants to study.
凯瑟琳·斯普林格是美国地质调查局的地球科学家研究员，她帮助撰写了这篇新论文。她说确定花粉年代的过程非常困难。她补充说，科学家们认为放射性碳测年陆地植物比测年水中植物的结果更准确。但她补充说，需要有足够多的植物来研究。
The researchers also studied damage to the structure in ancient small pieces of quartz to produce an age estimate.
研究人员还研究了古代小块石英对结构的破坏，以估计其年龄。
Ancient footprints of any kind – left by humans or large animals – can give scientists some idea when they are from. They may record how and where people or animals walked and if their paths crossed. Animal footprints have also been found at White Sands.
任何种类的古代脚印——无论是人类还是大型动物留下的——都可以让科学家们知道它们来自哪里。它们可以记录人或动物如何行走，在哪里行走，以及他们的路径是否相交。在白沙也发现了动物脚印。
Other ancient sites in the Americas point to a similar time period. These include ancient art made from animal remains in Brazil. But scientists still question whether such materials really suggest that humans were living in the Americas then.
美洲的其他古代遗址也指向一个类似的时期。其中包括巴西用动物遗骸制作的古代艺术品。但科学家们仍然质疑这些材料是否真的表明人类当时生活在美洲。
Jennifer Raff is a scientist who studies ancient human genes at the University of Kansas. She was not involved in the study. Raff said, "White Sands is unique because there's no question these footprints were left by people, it's not ambiguous."
詹妮弗·拉夫是堪萨斯大学研究古代人类基因的科学家。她没有参与这项研究。拉夫说:“白沙是独一无二的，因为毫无疑问，这些脚印是人类留下的，这一点也不含糊。”
