Caves are not simply filled gradually from bottom to top as sediment accumulates.

They are dynamic environments in which sediment is deposited, eroded, and redeposited; in which the activities of animals can create complex mixing of materials; and in which the physical structure of the cave itself — overhanging walls, alcoves, irregularities in the floor — creates microenvironments with different depositional histories.

These were not frivolous objections.

They identified genuine vulnerabilities in the original evidence that needed to be addressed.

The question was whether the Paisley evidence could survive them.