Traces of the world's oldest vehicle have been discovered, dating back 22,000 years.

In the White Sands National Park in New Mexico, scientists discovered human footprints alongside those of a vehicle. According to the researchers' estimates, these traces are about 22,000 years old, reports New Scientist.

The authors of the study believe that the unusual marks on the ground were made by people dragging pieces of wood loaded with goods. This type of primitive transport is known as a drag sled.

"Essentially, it's a cart, but without wheels," says team member Matthew Bennett from Bournemouth University.

Such drag sleds were commonly used worldwide, but the team has found the oldest evidence of their use.

The ancient dry lake in White Sands contains numerous ancient animal tracks, and human footprints were discovered there in 2017. Later, the group found long dragging marks alongside human footprints, and since then several other examples have been identified.

"They appear in many different areas, so they were widespread. This isn't just one inventive family that came up with the idea of using a drag sled," Bennett explains.

Some of the dragging marks consist of a single line. The team believes these were made by a drag sled made of two long pieces of wood joined in a triangular shape, with one end of each piece held in one hand, but only one point of the sled was in contact with the ground.

Other dragging marks consist of two parallel lines. They were likely the result of a drag sled where two pieces of wood were crossed in an X-shape, providing two handles and two points of contact with the ground, which would be more stable.

The dragging marks often intersect with the footprints of a person who is believed to have been pulling the sled. In some cases, there are parallel tracks — often of children — indicating that other people were nearby.

In other parts of the world, drag sleds were often pulled by dogs or horses, Bennett notes, but there is no evidence that people in White Sands used animals.

The dating of the discovered tracks challenges the commonly held belief that people did not migrate to America until the ice sheets began to retreat about 15,000 years ago.

Other recent findings suggest that humans may have reached America as far back as 33,000 years ago.

It is worth mentioning that scientists have determined whose foot left a print 153,000 years ago. At the beginning of the new millennium, the lack of footprints left by our ancient ancestors over 50,000 years ago raised significant concerns. During this period, only four such sites have been discovered in Africa.