But they do not resolve the large questions about the peopling of the Americas — how many founding migrations there were, what routes they took, exactly when they occurred, and how the founding population diversified into the hundreds of distinct Native nations that European explorers eventually encountered.

Those questions require the accumulation of many more ancient individuals from many more sites across the hemisphere.

The Hourglass Cave man is one thread in a tapestry that is still being woven.

The Cold That Keeps Secrets

The cave is still there.

The elevation is still 10,700 feet.

The passages are still cold and muddy.

The narrowest restrictions still require a caver to exhale and squeeze.