The Ancient Traveler Look at those bones embedded in the tightly packed sediment. They may be human said Mark Wells. Dr. Samantha Clark took a close look, shaking her head, not believing a human had lived 100,000 years ago. The dig had been full of surprises, trying to move the tools and volunteers safely down the 85-foot sinkhole had been a challenge. Moreover, the fossils found were well over 100,000 years old. The animals included an American lion, camel and mammoth. While the discovery in northern Utah was unique with over 300 complete fossils found to date, it was minor compared to what Samantha was looking at.
As Mark her graduate student continued to remove small particles of sediment with a dentist pick, Samantha stood in wonder watching the bones take shape. They both knew what unearthing human remains would mean to the scientific community and their careers. As a few bones came loose, Mark said, “These are well persevered. There appears to be some collagen attached, perhaps it contains the DNA for genetic testing. ” Samantha replied, “State-of-the-art testing should point the way to the owner and how they died. ” Be extremely careful removing the bones and do not tell anyone about what we found.
We will wait until the lab testing is complete. It appears the best part of an excavation, happens last. Not being an in-stu site where the bones remained as found, the volunteers were, busy removing other fossils for future study, and cataloging the dig. Mark carefully removed the bones after several days. Once the entire human like bones had been collected, Mark hid them, among other bone going to the lab for testing Samantha did not worry about the findings leaking to the press; the lab technicians signed a non-disclosure statement prior to working at the lab.
After a week, the lab report came back with shocking information about the human like bones. The DNA results showed the bones were from a woman, about 35-years of age, and in excellent health. Moreover, not all the DNA was human; there was a 20-percent unknown factor. Nevertheless, report concluded she lived around 100,000 years ago. In addition, the holograph drawing of the skull showed she European looks and would fit into today’s environment. Besides, there were unknown fibers embedded with the fragile bones. Samantha and Mark could not believe what they were reading.
Furthermore, the impact on modern science, the complete scientific community would be in turmoil. Samantha’s initial reaction was to alert the scientific community of the discovery, and to publish the findings in the Journal of Paleontology, the prestigious scientific journal. Mark was considering the moral and religious impact on world population. Samantha said, “This discovery will cause us to be famous. ” Mark replied, “We have an obligation to find out who she was, where she came from, and how she died in that sinkhole beneath the other animal fossils. We cannot go public until we know the whole story.
After several minutes, Samantha said, “Perhaps you are right, we need to solve the mystery of how she arrived here. I will ask the lab to rerun the test and try to identify the fibers with the bones” Mark thought the skeleton they were calling Sue, had wandered from a well-worn path and fallen to her death. However, the carbon dating showed she did not die at the same time the other animals around her. Moreover, the animals that died before her fall cushioned the impact. In addition, if she was an ancient traveler, there was no mode of transportation nearby.
Returning to the sinkhole, Mark slowly lowered himself to the cavity floor. Carefully, he began to study the cave strata for clues about Sue. Just before losing the last light in the cave, he saw what appeared to be the remains of a journal. Quickly removing the remains, stuffing them in a specimen bag, and adding them to his backpack, Mark left the sinkhole and made his way back to camp. Unable to curtail his curiosity, Mark entered his tent, closing the flap; he removed the journal from his backpack. He notices the ancient book well preserved for its age, it was mostly intact and readable.
However, the writing was in a language he had never seen. Moreover, there were some pictures throughout the book to describe the events. Upon closer investigation, the journal contained pictures; Sue was part of an exploratory party searching for life on the planet. Becoming separated from the group, she was abandoned on earth. Sue survived the fall and was able to find food and water, until the cold weather and hyperthermia took over. Mark returned the journal to his backpack. Next day he consulted with Samantha.
The lab had not identified the fibers, but with the new nowledge found by Mark, she thought it might have been the remains of a spacesuit. After several heated discussions, Samantha and Mark decided the world was not ready for this newfound information. Besides the fossils, they found were earth shaking and would keep scientist busy for years. They decided to give Sue a proper burial. Sue was buried with the journal, in a non-descript grave on a tall, grassy hill, overlooking the sinkhole. The view showed the green earth and the stars in the night sky. After a few kind words by a local minister, they all left and never spoke of Sue again.
