Major new clue found may unlock Las Vegas ice age backyard bone mystery

The true identity and age of a rare collection of bones discovered during pool construction at a Las Vegas home are becoming more clear as crucial pieces have been unearthed: parts of the jaw and teeth.

VEGAS POOL.A MAJOR NEW CLUE..

HASJUST BEEN DISCOVERED..

IN THEICE AGE MYSTERY AT A LAS VEGASHOME NEAR BUFFALO AND GRANDTETON!ANCIENT BONES..... DATINGBACK.... AS FAR AS.... -14-THOUSAND YEARS..... NOW HAS THEATTENTION OF FEDERALAUTHORITIES!13 INVESTIGATESREPORTER... JOE BARTELS SHOWSUS...THE NEW FINDINGS...*AND*...THE NEW INVESTIGATION.A LOT INTERNATIONALATTENTION NOW..ON THESE BONES..A BRAND NEW DISCOVERY HASLED TO ANOTHER QUESTION..JUST HOW OLD ARE THEY!THESE ARE THE NEW CLUES..JUST PULLED FROM NEAR THEBOTTOM OF A LAS VEGAS POOL UNDERCONSTRUCTION.PARTS OF A JAW..

ANDTEETH..BELONGING TO AN ICE AGEHORSE..

UP TO 14 THOUSAND YEARSOLD!"AT THAT POINT WE START GETTINGPHONE CALLS FROM NEWSPAPERSSTATIONS IN SAN FRANCISCO, NEWYORK SOMEONE FROM THE UK AND THEDAILY MAIL CALLED US WERE LIKEOK NATIONAL AND NOWINTERNATIONAL STARTED EMAILINGUS SO IT’S REALLY INTERESTING.

"THE DISCOVERY..

NOWCAPTURING ATTENTION AROUND THEWORLD..MATT PERKINS SAYS..

PEOPLEARE FACINATED WITH THE FIND..AFTER HIS POOL BUILDERSSPOTTED THE BONES..

LAST WEEK.."HONESTLY IT’S BEEN AMAZINGHAVING SO MANY PEOPLE REACH OUTAS INTERESTED IN IT AS WE AREMAKES US FEEL REAL GOOD.

IT’SSOMETHING THAT WE WERE REALEXCITED ABOUT KIND OF NERD ITOUT ABOUT AND WE’RE LIKE OK IT’SGONNA BE US IN A FEW PEOPLE BYTO SEE IT TAKEOFF SO MANY PEOPLEREACHING OUT AND WANTING MOREINFORMATION IS JUST AMAZING.EXPERTS SAY THE TEETH..POINT TO A HORSE..THAT LIKELY FELL INTO ANATURAL SPRING AROUND THE LASTICE AGE..AND WAS PRESERVED..BUT EXACTLY WHEN IS HARDTO NARROW DOWN..

FOR NOW." THAT’S KIND OF THE GLARINGQUESTION IS EXACTLY HOW OLD ISTHIS BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE’REMAKING OUR AGE DETERMINATIONBASED UPON THE AGE OF THE ROCKSBELOW AND ABOVE IT SO IT’S KINDOF A SANDWICH OF A DATE AND ITWOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A DATE ONTHE BONES IN THEMSELVES."JOSHUA BONDE WITH THENEVADA SCIENCE CENTER..SAYS THE UNITED STATESGEOLOGICAL SURVEY..

ISINTERESTED IN THE DISCOVERY..AND WILL LIKELY USE CARBONDATING TO FIGURE OUT..

EXACTLYHOW OLD..

THE FOSSILS DATEBACK." RIGHT NOW WE’RE KICKING AROUNDIDEA TO DIG UP AS MUCH AS WESAFELY CAN WITHOUT DOING TOOMUCH OF AN IMPACT ON THEIRPROPERTY.

"BONDE SAYS THE FIND ISVERY RARE..ESPECIALLY SINCE THE BONESARE SO CLOSE AND ARRANGED INWHATS REFERRED TO AS "LIFEPOSITION.."AND REALLY WELL PRESERVED."THEY THINK THEY FOUND SOME HAIRIN THERE THINGS THAT JUSTSHOULDN’T BE THERE SO IT’S GONEFROM JUST NOT A FOSSIL ANYMOREBUT HOW DOES SOMETHING LIKE THISSO WELL PRESERVED SO GEOLOGISTSANOTHER PEOPLE ARE GOING TO COMELOOK AT IT NOW.

"PERKINS POOL..CONTRUCTIONS IS PAUSED FOR NOW..UNTIL MORE CAN BE LEARNEDABOUT THE BACKYARD BONESTHE NEXT STEP IS TO SEE WHEN THEBONES CAN BE BE EXCAVATED..AND PRESERVED..SO MORE CAN BE LEARNED..AND EVENTUALLY... THE IDEAIS TO DISPLAY THESE..SO OTHERS CAN LEARN ANDAPPRECIATE THEM..JOE BARTELS 13 ACTI