Human history in Ireland rewritten as scientists get down to bear bones

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/21/human-history-in-ireland-rewritten-as-scientists-get-down-to-bear-bones

Animal remains indicate humans existed in Ireland 12,500 years ago, much earlier than previously thought

Human history in Ireland rewritten as scientists get down to bear bones
Agence France-Presse
Sunday 20 March 2016 23.30 EDT

Analysis of a bear bone found in an Irish cave has provided evidence of human existence in Ireland 2,500 years earlier than previously thought, academics have announced.

For decades, the earliest evidence of human life in Ireland dated from 8,000 BC.

But radiocarbon dating of a bear’s knee bone indicated it had been butchered by a human in about 10,500 BC – some 12,500 years ago and far earlier than the previous date.

Marion Dowd, an archaeologist at the Institute of Technology Sligo who was part of the team that made the discovery, said: “This find adds a new chapter to the human history of Ireland.”