A new study published in the journal Science has confirmed that fossil human footprints discovered in White Sands National Park in New Mexico are likely the oldest direct evidence of human presence in the Americas, estimated to be between 21,000 and 23,000 years old. Researchers conducted tests to analyze the sediment layers in which the footprints were found, and their findings challenge the previous belief that humans arrived in the New World between 13,500 and 16,000 years ago. The findings of the study could have implications for the understanding of human migration patterns and the history of the Americas, and the researchers hope that their findings will encourage further research into the history of human presence in the Americas.