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Marks resembling sled-like tracks alongside footprints at White Sands National Park in New Mexico suggest that wooden travois-style transport was used by the earliest known Americans over 20,000 years ago. Researchers studying the site believe that ancient inhabitants of the region utilised wooden poles bound together to drag goods and possibly people across the landscape. Indigenous knowledge and experimental archaeology indicate that these marks likely originated from a rudimentary form of transport, which predates the use of wheels.
Findings from White Sands National Park
According to the study published in Quaternary Science Advances, drag marks extending up to 50 metres were identified alongside human footprints. The marks varied in form, with some appearing as single lines—suggesting an A-shaped structure—while others showed two parallel lines, indicative of an X-shaped design. The study’s lead author, Matthew Bennett, Professor of Environmental and Geographical Sciences at Bournemouth University, stated in an official press release that these traces provide the first direct evidence of how early humans transported heavy loads.
Comparison with Indigenous Practices
Indigenous groups from the Great Plains, including parts of present-day New Mexico, historically used similar structures to transport homes and belongings. These were initially pulled by dogs and later by horses after European contact. The study’s findings suggest that similar methods may have been employed thousands of years earlier, with adults pulling the travois while children walked alongside. Co-author Sally Reynolds, a mammalian palaeontologist at Bournemouth University, said that understanding ancient movement patterns is key to reconstructing the lives of early settlers in the Americas.
Testing the Travois Theory
To verify the hypothesis, researchers constructed travois replicas using wooden poles and tested them in muddy terrains in the UK and the US. The resulting marks closely resembled those found at White Sands. These tests reinforced the idea that prehistoric people likely used similar methods to transport goods across harsh environments.
Implications for Early American History
Previous research at White Sands has dated human footprints at the site to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago, challenging earlier estimates of human arrival in North America. While some scholars debate these dates, the presence of drag marks alongside footprints remains a significant indicator of early transport methods. The study highlights an ancient yet sophisticated means of mobility long before the advent of the wheel.
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T Coronae Borealis, commonly known as the ‘Blaze Star,’ is expected to undergo a rare outburst, making it visible to the naked eye for a short period. Located around 3,000 light-years away in the constellation Corona Borealis, this recurrent nova brightens approximately every 80 years due to a thermonuclear explosion on its surface. Predictions had placed the event between April and September 2024, but as it has not yet occurred, astronomers believe the eruption is imminent. The star has remained faint in recent months, but with its host constellation rising in the evening sky, skywatchers have a key opportunity to locate it before its expected brightening.
Predicted Timing of the Nova
According to reports, the constellation Corona Borealis will become visible in the eastern sky about three hours after sunset in March 2025. Within four hours of sunset, the star’s position will be easier to identify. If the nova occurs as predicted, the star’s brightness will rapidly increase, reaching a magnitude similar to Polaris, the North Star, before fading over the following days. Since such an event has not been observed since 1946, astronomers are closely monitoring any changes in brightness.
Where to Locate T Coronae Borealis
T Coronae Borealis is positioned between two of the brightest stars in the night sky—Vega in the northeast and Arcturus in the east. Locating the Big Dipper and following the arc of its handle to Arcturus provides a simple way to find the constellation. Corona Borealis appears as a semicircle of stars, with the ‘Blaze Star’ situated near Epsilon CrB, one of its brighter members.
Understanding the Nova Event
T Coronae Borealis is a binary star system consisting of a white dwarf and a red giant. Over time, the white dwarf accumulates material from its companion until a thermonuclear reaction ignites, causing a dramatic increase in brightness. Observations in 2023 suggested that the nova was approaching, though an explosion has yet to be recorded. Since such an event is expected to last about a week, astronomers are encouraging skywatchers to familiarize themselves with the star’s location in advance.
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