The AMS radiocarbon dates, reproduced across multiple samples and multiple laboratories, placed the mastodon at approximately 13,800 to 13,900 calibrated years before the present.

The CT imaging revealed the geometry of the penetration channel, the distribution of the embedded fragments, and the density contrast between the embedded material and the surrounding rib.

The protein analysis established that the embedded material was mastodon bone — not a mineral intrusion, not part of the rib itself, but foreign bone driven in from outside.

The digital segmentation and 3D reconstruction showed that the fragments, when fitted back together, formed the tip of a deliberately shaped osseous projectile point.

Each of these analytical steps moved the interpretation from ambiguous to established — from a remarkable observation that might or might not represent human activity, to a well-documented case for pre-Clovis hunting of mastodons in the Pacific Northwest using bone weapon technology.