In the heart of the Utah desert, a group of scientists came across footprints that turned out to belong to a still unknown species of ancient people. These prints were visible only after rain, and disappeared again when the ground dried out. The age of the traces is of interest: according to available scientific data, humanity explored this region only 50 thousand years ago, while the age of the prints is more than 2 million years.
The discovery was made by members of an archaeological expedition heading to their camp after a day of excavation near a Utah military site. On the way, it started to rain, and the team was forced to organize temporary shelter on a salt marsh. It was there that one of the archaeologists noticed unusual prints.
The next morning, the entire group relocated closer to the site of the unusual find. Using a magnetometer and ground penetrating radar, the researchers were able to determine the direction of the tracks. Subsequent excavations confirmed that the prints date back to approximately 2.58 million years ago.
Despite extensive research, scientists have never found any organic remains associated with the prints. Therefore, who and how left these traces of human feet in such an unexpected place remains a mystery.
The research continues, scientists have to find out why the tracks become visible only after rain and what their history is. Scientists hope that further work will help solve this mystery.