This Oregon Cave Hid 14,000-Year-Old Human DNA Where No One Expected It

Inside Oregon’s Paisley Caves, archaeologists discovered ancient human DNA preserved in coprolites—fossilized human waste dating back roughly 14,000 years. The discovery suggested people lived in North America before or alongside the earliest Clovis communities. But questions about contamination, dating, and whether the coprolites were truly human triggered years of scientific debate. Explore how ancient DNA, proteins, artifacts, and unusual cave evidence changed the story of the First Americans. Topics: Paisley Caves, ancient human DNA, First Americans, pre-Clovis archaeology, ancient coprolites, Oregon archaeology, human migration, Ice Age America.