Three pendants made from the osteoderms of a giant ground sloth have been discovered at the Santa Elina rock shelter in Brazil. The layer the bones were found in dates to between 25,000 and 27,000 years ago. If the researchers are correct about the dating, this is some of the earliest evidence of humans in the Americas — and this is South America, which would presumably take longer to reach (via the Bering Strait). Thaís Pansani told Live Science, “Our evidence reinforces the interpretation that our colleagues working on Santa Elina have been talking about for 30 years… Humans were in Central Brazil at least 27,000 years ago.” Osteoderms are bony deposits that create a protective armor (think armadillos). Many osteoderms were found, but three have small holes that were made by human hands, as indicated by traces of stone tool incisions, scraping marks, and polishing. Wow, there’s so much happening in the debate about the peopling of the Americas right now. Fascinating!