An iconic spear-throwing device likely wasn't used by prehistoric hunters until around 10,000 years ago

Archaeologists have long pictured prehistoric hunters taking down mammoths and other megafauna using the atlatl, a handheld spear-throwing device that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity and force when throwing darts.

In particular, use of the atlatl was thought to be common in the Clovis culture in North America, which occurred roughly between 13,340 and 12,710 years ago.

However, new research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that the atlatl probably didn't exist in the region until much later. ...