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The continents of eurasia and the americas are connected via a dry land bridge between Siberia and Alaska. The open sea barriers between Antarctica, Australia, South America, and various intervening islands are the shortest and shallowest they've been in eons-- and may perhaps be gone entirely at times due to the formation of seasonal sea ice during this Ice Age period. In any case, some reasonable seamanship via boat or raft could possibly overcome many of the obstacles that remain. Australia and Tasmania are one land mass now, and Australia began being populated by humanity over 25,000 years ago.
There are already people living in South America too by now-- apparently Australians who had crossed the Pacific.
The appearance of the Bering land bridge, combined with intensifying competition for food and territory in eastern asia, encourages a veritable boom in migration over the bridge and into north america. These vast new numbers of people will help a lot to turn the tide against the great bear predators up to now making it too dangerous for people to spend much time onshore in north america. But they will also spell the doom of the much smaller numbers of Australians already living in South America.
At least some europeans are producing baskets, textiles, hunting and fishing nets, and cords from plant fibers by now.
-- The Need to Weave The First Americans Used More Fiber Than Flint by J.M. Adovasio and D.C. Hyland, Discovering Archaeology First Americans, http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/, found on or about 1-20-2000, The Need to Weave: The First Americans Used More Fiber Than Flint ["http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/0799toc/7special3-weave.shtml"] |