Archaeological scientists investigating the sites at Monte Verde in southern Chile confirmed that the evidence found there clearly shows that people lived there more than 14,000 years ago. The discovery is proof of the earliest known human settlement in the Americas.

The age of Monte Verde has been subjected to a lot of controversy in the past few years and the new carbon dating from the seaweed samples finally offered an official and reliable answer on the matter. The samples were dated to be between 13,980 and 14,220 years old.

Monte Verde was discovered in 1976 and it is located at about 500 miles (800 Kilometers) south of Santiago, Chile. The discovery was made by a veterinary student who found what he believed to be a strange cow bone. It was later proved to have belonged to a mastodon. Excavations and investigations were started in 1977 by several professors and geologists.

Apparently, the site was occupied by a group of about 15 humans. The research team found nine different species of seaweed and marine algae used as food and also for their medicinal qualities.

 "At least some first Americans had a broad spectrum diet, because we're seeing that they exploited a wide range of resources from multiple environmental zones—terrestrial, coastal, and so forth," said Tom Dillehay, an anthropologist at Tennessee's Vanderbilt University, according to National Geographic.

Other discoveries made at the site included the remains of several animals, shellfish, vegetables and nuts.