Ancient Capybara Tooth Rewrites Atacama Desert Climate History
Researchers have identified a fossilized capybara tooth in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert, dating back approximately 8.8 million years. This discovery, published in Scientific Reports, challenges the prevailing scientific consensus that the Atacama has remained continuously hyper-arid for 40 million years. The presence of a semi-aquatic rodent in a marine sediment layer suggests the region once supported wetland ecosystems, freshwater habitats, and lush vegetation, including palms, during the late Miocene epoch.
