When did the first Homo sapiens who lived in the New World (the Americas) arrive?

The exact timing of when the first Homo sapiens arrived in the Americas is a subject of much debate among archaeologists. The commonly accepted theory is that humans arrived in the Americas around 15,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age. They are believed to have crossed the Bering land bridge, which connected Siberia and Alaska, before spreading throughout North and South America.

However, some recent archaeological findings suggest that humans may have arrived in the Americas even earlier. For example, a study published in 2017 reported evidence of human presence in California 130,000 years ago, but this claim is controversial and not widely accepted.

So, while the exact timing is uncertain and a topic of ongoing research, it is generally agreed that the first Homo sapiens arrived in the Americas at least 15,000 years ago.