Assessment Questions 7.3

The evidence supporting the claim of the earliest human settlement in Australia around 65,000 years ago comes from the Madjedbebe rock shelter in the northern part of the country. Excavations at this site, particularly in the lowest occupation layer, revealed thousands of stone tools and artifacts. The application of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) on quartz crystals found in the same layer provided dates of at least 59,000 and likely closer to 65,000 years ago.

The archaeological evidence, such as the findings at the Madjedbebe rock shelter, aligns well with the genetic data indicating the timing of human occupation in Australia. The genomic analysis suggested a split between the native people of Australia and New Guinea from the people of Eurasia around 51,000 to 72,000 years ago. The Madjedbebe site, dated to around 65,000 years ago, supports the idea of early human settlement in Australia, providing archaeological context to the genetic timeline.

The genetic analysis conducted on the genomes of 83 living Australian Aborigines and 25 Native New Guineans concluded that the native people of Australia and New Guinea split off from the people of Eurasia sometime between 51,000 and 72,000 years ago. This determination was made by comparing the genomes of living individuals with those derived from living people and ancient skeletal remains in Eurasia and Africa, identifying similarities and differences in the genetic data.