New research finds that people settled the Bahamas earlier than scientists thought. Humans were present in Florida by 14,000 years ago, and until recently, it was believed the Bahamas—located only a few miles away—were not colonized until about 1,000 years ago. The new findings, however, prove that the area was colonized earlier, and the new settlers dramatically changed the landscape. As reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers generated a new environmental record from the Blackwood Sinkhole, which is flooded with 120 feet of groundwater without dissolved oxygen. This is important because it has pristinely preserved organic material for the last 3,000 years. Using core samples and radiocarbon dating, the team examined charcoal deposits from human fires thousands of years ago, indicating that the first settlers arrived in the Bahamas sooner than previously thought.