Genetic science is good at many things, but precise dates have not always been its strong suit. There are many reasons for this, and the possibility of variable mutation rates puts a major a barrier in our ability to get absolute precision. From what I can archaeology is a little better here, despite all the problems that this discipline has.
Early human occupation of a maritime desert, Barrow Island, North-West Australia:
. In this first major synthesis we focus on the dating and sedimentology of Boodie Cave to establish the framework for ongoing analysis of cultural materials. We present new data on these cultural assemblages – including charcoal, faunal remains and lithics – integrated with micromorphology, sedimentary history and dating by four independent laboratories. First occupation occurs between 51.1 and 46.2 ka, overlapping with the earliest dates for occupation of Australia. Marine resources are incorporated into dietary assemblages by 42.5 ka and continue to be transported to the cave through all periods of occupation, despite fluctuating sea levels and dramatic extensions of the coastal plain.
The best current work sees to suggest that unlike most world populations Australians have not experienced much turnover. That is, the first settlers are the ancestors by and large of the current native populations. If this is correct we’re getting some really clear lower bound values for the date of Neanderthal and Denisovan admixture into our lineage.
More trivia: I knew Peter Veth as a child. His parents were post-war Dutch immigrants to Australia. His father was my secondary school German teacher (he claimed to be able to speak 16 languages). His mother also taught secondary school and was self-evidently very bright. His father and mine were colleagues, and we visited their house quite often. His mother latched onto me as a budding musician/accompanist for singing recitals (duets) in German at school concerts, so I was around their place more than the rest of my family. My school had two outstanding adolescent male singers who I accompanied, one of whom was a high IQ individual who ended up as an Astronomer living in Schenectady, New York.
Peter himself has turned out to be a really first class Archaeologist doing very valuable work in Western Australia, which was sorely needed. I have been greatly heartened by a lot of his work.
We may yet see the birth of offshore Archaeology in Australia as people try to flesh out the use of the coastal zones in the Pleistocene, which is not yet a thing – it obviously already is elsewhere, but no real offshore work seems to have been attempted in Australia yet. I wouldn’t mind betting that Peter turns out to be one of the driving forces behind that getting going as well.
Sorry, just gossip, but a note on the connectedness of things.
Here is a layperson-friendly account of the Archaeological work on Barrow Island, with some nice pictures. Pictures are always good.
https://theconversation.com/cave-dig-shows-the-earliest-australians-enjoyed-a-coastal-lifestyle-77326