One of the greatest controversies in American archaeology involves the debate over when the first people arrived in the New World, and long at the center of the debate has been the South American site of Monte Verde, where research that began decades ago produced evidence of a human presence there as early as 14,500 years ago. While marking the beginning of a major paradigm shift in the archaeological world, the site has remained at the heart of the debate over when the first Americans arrived, which has seen its latest challenge in a new paper published in the journal Science. This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we examine the newest findings and weigh them against the body of data that argues the existence of a "Pre-Clovis" cultural presence in the Americas. Image Credit: Claudio Latorre. Want to advertise/sponsor The Micah Hanks Program? We have partnered with the AdvertiseCast to handle our advertising/sponsorship requests. If you would like to advertise with The Micah Hanks Program, all you have to do is click the link below to get started: AdvertiseCast: Advertise with The Micah Hanks Program Show Notes Below are links to stories and other content featured in this episode: NEWS: Meteorite Smashes into Texas Home Amid Recent Rise in Space Object Reentries Worldwide Caution Alert - U.S. Department of State MYSTERY DRONES: Drones over base where Rubio, Hegseth live raise security concerns 'Multiple waves' of unauthorized drones recently spotted over strategic US Air Force base - ABC News ALIENS: White House Gearing Up to Drop Next Epstein Distraction MONTE VERDE: Controversial Study Challenges Age of Famous Monte Verde Site, Reigniting One of Archaeology's Greatest Debates - The Debrief THE PAPER: A mid-Holocene age for Monte Verde challenges the timeline of human colonization of South America BECOME AN X SUBSCRIBER AND GET EVEN MORE GREAT PODCASTS AND MONTHLY SPECIALS FROM MICAH HANKS. Sign up today and get access to the entire back catalog of The Micah Hanks Program, as well as "classic" episodes, weekly "additional editions" of the subscriber-only X Podcast, the monthly Enigmas specials, and much more. Like us on Facebook Follow @MicahHanks on X. Keep up with Micah and his work at micahhanks.com.