Schubert on 'Nova'

JOHNSON CITY (Feb. 5, 2018) – Several years ago, Dr. Blaine Schubert, executive director of the East Tennessee State University Center of Excellence in Paleontology and faculty member in the Department of Geosciences, was sent pictures of bones from an underwater cave in the Yucatan of Mexico.  The images showed the skeleton of an extinct short-faced bear, unlike anything else from the region.  While Schubert examined the bear images, he wondered about the research potential of these underwater caves for studying long-extinct animals and ecosystems.

At the same time, a team of scientists and scuba divers began the careful removal of early human remains from a large pit in the cave system called Hoyo Negro (Spanish for “Black Hole”).  Sea level was much lower during the last Ice Age, so these coastal caves were open for exploration by some of the first humans to enter North America. Over 12,000 years ago, a young woman fell into the pit, along with many other Ice Age animals. As continental glaciers melted and sea level rose, the caves were flooded, preserving both human and animal remains in pristine condition.

This week’s “Nova” special, “First Face of America,” premieres Wednesday (Feb. 7) at 9 p.m. on PBS.  The episode focuses on the 13,000-year-old remains of a young woman, the most complete female skeleton of this age in the Americas.  Schubert, now the lead paleontologist on the Hoyo Negro project, discusses the animals that occupied the Yucatan during the Ice Age.

In 2017, Schubert and the Hoya Negro scientific team obtained additional National Geographic funding for another expedition focused on collecting the remains of extinct megafauna from the cave, including giant ground sloths, short-faced bears and saber-tooth cats.  Results of that expedition are expected to be revealed over the next year.

Schubert will speak about this research, sharing images and video, during the Darwin Day celebration at the Gray Fossil Site and Museum on Saturday, Feb. 17.  His 11 a.m. talk is titled “Darwin, Extinct Megafauna and Underwater Caves of the Yucatan.”

A trailer for this week’s “Nova” special is available at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/first-face-america.html.