A combined team of researchers from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the National Park Service and the University of Manitoba (USA) have been examining the bones of an early mammal and have made an exciting discovery.
     The mammal in question is the Jefferson Ground Sloth (or Megalonyx jeffersonii), which was named after Thomas Jefferson, who first examined the bones in 1796 CE. He originally thought that they belonged to a lion (hence the 'Megalonyx' or 'giant claw'). These particular bones were first discovered in 1915 CE but researchers have had to wait for modern technology to unlock the bones' secrets.
     Microscopic analysis of marks found on the bones show that stone tools had been used to strip off the flesh. The significant point is that radiocarbon dating puts their age at approximately 11,400 BCE, which makes them the oldest evidence of prehistoric human activity in Ohio.

Edited from Cleveland Museum of Natural History (1 March 2012)