Virginia Steen-McIntyre's Story: Paradigm Battle Over Peopling of America

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In summary, the conversation discusses the controversial topic of the peopling of America and the role of Virginia Steen-McIntyre in this debate. Her research, which suggests that some paleo indian stone tools may be 260,000 years old, has been met with skepticism and has sparked a battle among scientists. The conversation references a paper published by Steen-McIntyre and her colleagues, as well as her website which provides more information on the topic. While some see this as an anomaly challenging mainstream science, others suggest that there may be alternative explanations for the age of these tools. The conversation ends with a quote about the struggle between hypotheses and facts in scientific research.
  • #1
Andre
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The Earth science battlefields are as fierce as any other. One highly contested paradigm is the peopling of America. And quite unwillingly, a major feature in that battle is poor innocent Virginia Steen-McIntyre, who was so unfortunate to date volcanic ash layers that covered some paleo indian stone tools to an ago of some 260,000 years

That story is http://disputatio.com/articles/006-1.pdf and it took 15 years of ardent battling to get those results published in:

Steen-McIntyre, Virginia; Fryxell, Roald; Malde, Harold E (Jul 1981) Geologic evidence for age of deposits at Hueyatlaco archeological site, Valsequillo, Mexico . Quaternary Research, vol. 16, no.1, pp.1-15

As everything bound to get on the net eventually, this paper is now available too, at least the first ten pages:

http://www.valsequilloclassic.net/VSM/quaternary_research/quaternary_research_1981.pdf

But much more on her website here:

http://www.valsequilloclassic.net/VSM/index.htm

I love those little anomalies, challenging mainstream science and 260,000 old Clovis type flute points (normally 12-11,000 years old) is outrageous. However, looking at (studying) the pictures and reading the story, I'm not so sure anymore if there could be a simple down to Earth explanation. That mud mixed with the tephra layer is suspicious Those tools may not be older than 260,000 years at all. They may in fact have any age.
 
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  • #2
Quick look at the stratigraphy --- too many possible interpretations to call it an "anomaly" --- more along the lines of "Gee, it's the second half of the 20th century, and we're trained geologists, paleontologists, and can untangle any stratigraphic puzzle" vs. the hard reality of messy sedimentary processes.
 
  • #3
Right. I was thinking of (recent) mud flows which do happen sometimes in hilly areas like that which could have mixed the tephra with mud as narrated, covering much younger strata.

But really, if true then it's again

The great tragedy of science, the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis with an ugly fact. Thomas Huxley
 

1. Who is Virginia Steen-McIntyre?

Virginia Steen-McIntyre is an American geologist and paleontologist who is known for her involvement in the "Paradigm Battle Over Peopling of America." She earned her Master's degree in geology from the University of Utah and has worked as a geologist for the United States Geological Survey.

2. What is the "Paradigm Battle Over Peopling of America"?

The "Paradigm Battle Over Peopling of America" refers to a debate in the scientific community over the timeline and methods of how humans first arrived in North America. The traditional belief was that humans arrived via the Bering Land Bridge around 13,000 years ago, but new evidence presented by Virginia Steen-McIntyre challenged this theory.

3. What evidence did Virginia Steen-McIntyre present?

Virginia Steen-McIntyre and her team discovered evidence of human activity at a site in Mexico that was dated to be over 250,000 years old. This contradicted the traditional belief that humans arrived in North America only 13,000 years ago. The evidence included stone tools and butchered bones, indicating that humans had been in the region much earlier than previously thought.

4. What was the response to Virginia Steen-McIntyre's discovery?

The response to Virginia Steen-McIntyre's discovery was highly controversial. Many scientists were skeptical of the findings and argued that the evidence may have been contaminated or misinterpreted. Others, however, saw it as a groundbreaking discovery that challenged the traditional beliefs about the peopling of America.

5. What is the current understanding of the peopling of America?

Today, the majority of scientists believe that humans first arrived in North America around 13,000 years ago via the Bering Land Bridge. However, there is still ongoing research and debate about the exact timeline and methods of how humans first populated the continent. The evidence presented by Virginia Steen-McIntyre and others has opened up new discussions and possibilities in the study of human migration and history.

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