Latest news with #Homohabilis
The Advertiser
21-05-2025
- Science
- The Advertiser
Ask Fuzzy: What happens when you cook meat?
It's thought that, between 2.6 and 2.5 million years ago, our distant human ancestors were subsisting mostly on fruits, leaves, seeds, flowers and tubers. Then, when the Earth became significantly hotter and drier, forests were replaced by great grasslands. Nutritious plants became scarce, forcing hominins to find new sources of energy. Meanwhile the growing number of grazing herbivores across the savanna grasslands meant there was also more meat. Evidence uncovered by archaeologists reveals cut marks from crude stone tools in the bones of large herbivores 2.5 million years ago. Without sophisticated tools they wouldn't have been capable hunters, but there were sabre-toothed cats. Even if those were efficient killers, they were probably also messy eaters, leaving enough meat for hominin scavenging. The earliest evidence of widespread human meat-eating coincides with the emergence of Homo habilis, the "handyman" of early humans. At a 2 million-year-old site in Kenya, flaked stone blades and hammers were found near piles of bone fragments. Butcher marks show that Homo habilis used their crude stone tools to strip flesh off a carcass and crack open bones to get at the marrow. That meat would literally have been a tough transition because, even though they had stronger jaws and larger teeth, they were not adapted to eating raw meat. Their mouths and guts were designed more for grinding and digesting plants. MORE ASK FUZZY: Something that they (in fact, all life) had to deal with is that you have to spend energy to get energy. Cooking changes this balance by making it easier to extract nutrients. The earliest clear evidence of cooking dates back roughly 800,000 years ago, although it could have begun sooner. This has been crucial to human evolution because our brains are far larger than that of other primates and three times the size of our distant ancestors, Australopithecus. Those big brains are expensive, consuming 20 per cent of our body's total energy. That's far more than other mammals, whose brains only use about 4 per cent of their energy. Cooking also has reduced the need for a long digestive tract and, over hundreds of thousands of years, the human gut has shrunk. This makes cooking another one of those apparently ordinary technologies that have been integral to the rise of humans and, ultimately, to civilisation. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: It's thought that, between 2.6 and 2.5 million years ago, our distant human ancestors were subsisting mostly on fruits, leaves, seeds, flowers and tubers. Then, when the Earth became significantly hotter and drier, forests were replaced by great grasslands. Nutritious plants became scarce, forcing hominins to find new sources of energy. Meanwhile the growing number of grazing herbivores across the savanna grasslands meant there was also more meat. Evidence uncovered by archaeologists reveals cut marks from crude stone tools in the bones of large herbivores 2.5 million years ago. Without sophisticated tools they wouldn't have been capable hunters, but there were sabre-toothed cats. Even if those were efficient killers, they were probably also messy eaters, leaving enough meat for hominin scavenging. The earliest evidence of widespread human meat-eating coincides with the emergence of Homo habilis, the "handyman" of early humans. At a 2 million-year-old site in Kenya, flaked stone blades and hammers were found near piles of bone fragments. Butcher marks show that Homo habilis used their crude stone tools to strip flesh off a carcass and crack open bones to get at the marrow. That meat would literally have been a tough transition because, even though they had stronger jaws and larger teeth, they were not adapted to eating raw meat. Their mouths and guts were designed more for grinding and digesting plants. MORE ASK FUZZY: Something that they (in fact, all life) had to deal with is that you have to spend energy to get energy. Cooking changes this balance by making it easier to extract nutrients. The earliest clear evidence of cooking dates back roughly 800,000 years ago, although it could have begun sooner. This has been crucial to human evolution because our brains are far larger than that of other primates and three times the size of our distant ancestors, Australopithecus. Those big brains are expensive, consuming 20 per cent of our body's total energy. That's far more than other mammals, whose brains only use about 4 per cent of their energy. Cooking also has reduced the need for a long digestive tract and, over hundreds of thousands of years, the human gut has shrunk. This makes cooking another one of those apparently ordinary technologies that have been integral to the rise of humans and, ultimately, to civilisation. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: It's thought that, between 2.6 and 2.5 million years ago, our distant human ancestors were subsisting mostly on fruits, leaves, seeds, flowers and tubers. Then, when the Earth became significantly hotter and drier, forests were replaced by great grasslands. Nutritious plants became scarce, forcing hominins to find new sources of energy. Meanwhile the growing number of grazing herbivores across the savanna grasslands meant there was also more meat. Evidence uncovered by archaeologists reveals cut marks from crude stone tools in the bones of large herbivores 2.5 million years ago. Without sophisticated tools they wouldn't have been capable hunters, but there were sabre-toothed cats. Even if those were efficient killers, they were probably also messy eaters, leaving enough meat for hominin scavenging. The earliest evidence of widespread human meat-eating coincides with the emergence of Homo habilis, the "handyman" of early humans. At a 2 million-year-old site in Kenya, flaked stone blades and hammers were found near piles of bone fragments. Butcher marks show that Homo habilis used their crude stone tools to strip flesh off a carcass and crack open bones to get at the marrow. That meat would literally have been a tough transition because, even though they had stronger jaws and larger teeth, they were not adapted to eating raw meat. Their mouths and guts were designed more for grinding and digesting plants. MORE ASK FUZZY: Something that they (in fact, all life) had to deal with is that you have to spend energy to get energy. Cooking changes this balance by making it easier to extract nutrients. The earliest clear evidence of cooking dates back roughly 800,000 years ago, although it could have begun sooner. This has been crucial to human evolution because our brains are far larger than that of other primates and three times the size of our distant ancestors, Australopithecus. Those big brains are expensive, consuming 20 per cent of our body's total energy. That's far more than other mammals, whose brains only use about 4 per cent of their energy. Cooking also has reduced the need for a long digestive tract and, over hundreds of thousands of years, the human gut has shrunk. This makes cooking another one of those apparently ordinary technologies that have been integral to the rise of humans and, ultimately, to civilisation. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: It's thought that, between 2.6 and 2.5 million years ago, our distant human ancestors were subsisting mostly on fruits, leaves, seeds, flowers and tubers. Then, when the Earth became significantly hotter and drier, forests were replaced by great grasslands. Nutritious plants became scarce, forcing hominins to find new sources of energy. Meanwhile the growing number of grazing herbivores across the savanna grasslands meant there was also more meat. Evidence uncovered by archaeologists reveals cut marks from crude stone tools in the bones of large herbivores 2.5 million years ago. Without sophisticated tools they wouldn't have been capable hunters, but there were sabre-toothed cats. Even if those were efficient killers, they were probably also messy eaters, leaving enough meat for hominin scavenging. The earliest evidence of widespread human meat-eating coincides with the emergence of Homo habilis, the "handyman" of early humans. At a 2 million-year-old site in Kenya, flaked stone blades and hammers were found near piles of bone fragments. Butcher marks show that Homo habilis used their crude stone tools to strip flesh off a carcass and crack open bones to get at the marrow. That meat would literally have been a tough transition because, even though they had stronger jaws and larger teeth, they were not adapted to eating raw meat. Their mouths and guts were designed more for grinding and digesting plants. MORE ASK FUZZY: Something that they (in fact, all life) had to deal with is that you have to spend energy to get energy. Cooking changes this balance by making it easier to extract nutrients. The earliest clear evidence of cooking dates back roughly 800,000 years ago, although it could have begun sooner. This has been crucial to human evolution because our brains are far larger than that of other primates and three times the size of our distant ancestors, Australopithecus. Those big brains are expensive, consuming 20 per cent of our body's total energy. That's far more than other mammals, whose brains only use about 4 per cent of their energy. Cooking also has reduced the need for a long digestive tract and, over hundreds of thousands of years, the human gut has shrunk. This makes cooking another one of those apparently ordinary technologies that have been integral to the rise of humans and, ultimately, to civilisation. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast:
Voice of America
13-03-2025
- Science
- Voice of America
Discovery Provides New Details on Early Use of Bone Tools
A recent discovery of bones in Tanzania suggests early humans commonly used animal bones to make cutting tools 1.5 million years ago. Past research has shown our early ancestors made simple tools from stones as early as 3.3 million years ago. But bone tools appear to have been developed much later. The discovery in Tanzania included a collection of 27 formed and sharpened bones. It pushes back the date for ancient bone tool use by around 1 million years. Researchers recently described their discovery in a study in the scientific publication Nature. William Harcourt-Smith is a scientist with the American Museum of Natural History. He did not take part in the latest research. Harcourt-Smith told The Associated Press the findings show that ancient humans used a number of materials and 'had rather more complex tool kits than previously we thought." The bone tools measured up to around 40 centimeters. Most of them came from the leg bones of large animals such as elephants and hippos. Early humans likely made the tools by breaking off the thick ends of leg bones and using a stone to remove smaller pieces. Ignacio de la Torre is with the Spanish National Research Council. He helped lead the research. De la Torre said this method was likely used to create one sharpened edge and one pointed tip. The bone tools were 'probably used as a hand axe,' he added. The 'hand axe' was likely used for cutting up dead animals, de la Torre said. This kind of blade would be helpful for removing meat from dead elephant and hippo bodies. He explained, 'We don't believe they were hunting these animals. They were probably scavenging.' Scavenging means to search for food from waste or dead animals. Some of the bone tools showed signs of having been hit more than ten times, suggesting careful work. Mírian Pacheco is a researcher with the Federal University of Sao Carlos in Brazil. She was not involved in the study. Pacheco said the newly uncovered evidence suggests early humans were thoughtful when choosing and making the bone tools. Researchers believe this because certain kinds of large and heavy leg bones were taken from specific animals. Also, the methods used to make the tools appeared to be regular, or consistent. The researchers noted the bones showed only small signs of damage. Pacheco said she thinks this rules out the possibility that natural causes shaped the tools. The bone tools date from more than a million years before our species, Homo sapiens, arose around 300,000 years ago. At the time the tools were made, three different species of human ancestors lived in the same area of East Africa. That information comes from Briana Pobiner of the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program. Pobiner was not involved in the study. The tools may have been made and used by Homo erectus, Homo habilis or Paranthropus boisei, she said. 'It could have been any of these three, but it's almost impossible to know which one.' I'm John Russell. Christina Larson reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. ______________________________________________________ Words in This Story kit – n. a set of tools axe – n. a tool that usually has a wooden handle with a sharp piece of metal at one end, used mostly for cutting trees or wood species – n. a class of individuals having common attributes and designated by a common name
Boston Globe
05-03-2025
- Science
- Boston Globe
Ancient humans made tools from animal bones 1.5 million years ago
The well-preserved bone tools, measuring up to around 16 inches (40 centimeters), were likely made by breaking off the thick ends of leg bones and using a stone to knock off flakes from the remaining bone shaft. This technique was used to create one sharpened edge and one pointed tip, said study co-author Ignacio de la Torre, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The bone tools were 'probably used as a hand axe' – a handheld blade that's not mounted on a stick – for butchering dead animals, he said. Advertisement Such a blade would be handy for removing meat from elephant and hippo carcasses, but not used as a spear or projectile point. 'We don't believe they were hunting these animals. They were probably scavenging,' he said. Some of the artifacts show signs of having been struck to remove flakes more than a dozen times, revealing persistent craftsmanship. The uniform selection of the bones – large and heavy leg bones from specific animals – and the consistent pattern of alteration makes it clear that early humans deliberately chose and carved these bones, said Mírian Pacheco, a paleobiologist at the Federal University of Sao Carlos in Brazil, who was not involved in the study. The bones show minimal signs of erosion, trampling, or gnawing by other animals — ruling out the possibility that natural causes resulted in the tool shapes, she added. The bone tools date from more than a million years before our species, Homo sapiens, arose around 300,000 years ago. Advertisement At the time the tools were made, three different species of human ancestors lived in the same region of East Africa, said Briana Pobiner, a paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program, who was not involved in the study. The tools may have been made and used by Homo erectus, Homo habilis, or Paranthropus boisei. 'It could have been any of these three, but it's almost impossible to know which one,' said Pobiner.
NBC News
05-03-2025
- Science
- NBC News
Ancient humans made tools from animal bones 1.5 million years ago
WASHINGTON — Early humans were regularly using animal bones to make cutting tools 1.5 million years ago. A newly discovered cache of 27 carved and sharpened bones from elephants and hippos found in Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge site pushes back the date for ancient bone tool use by around 1 million years. Researchers know that early people made simple tools from stones as early as 3.3 million years ago. The new discovery, published Wednesday in Nature, reveals that ancient humans 'had rather more complex tool kits than previously we thought,' incorporating a variety of materials, said William Harcourt-Smith, a paleoanthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History, who was not involved in the research. The well-preserved bone tools, measuring up to around 16 inches (40 centimeters), were likely made by breaking off the thick ends of leg bones and using a stone to knock off flakes from the remaining bone shaft. This technique was used to create one sharpened edge and one pointed tip, said study co-author Ignacio de la Torre, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council. The bone tools were 'probably used as a hand axe' — a handheld blade that's not mounted on a stick — for butchering dead animals, he said. Such a blade would be handy for removing meat from elephant and hippo carcasses, but not used as a spear or projectile point. 'We don't believe they were hunting these animals. They were probably scavenging,' he said. Some of the artifacts show signs of having been struck to remove flakes more than a dozen times, revealing persistent craftsmanship. The uniform selection of the bones — large and heavy leg bones from specific animals — and the consistent pattern of alteration makes it clear that early humans deliberately chose and carved these bones, said Mírian Pacheco, a paleobiologist at the Federal University of Sao Carlos in Brazil, who was not involved in the study. The bone show minimal signs of erosion, trampling or gnawing by other animals — ruling out the possibility that natural causes resulted in the tool shapes, she added. The bone tools date from more than a million years before our species, Homo sapiens, arose around 300,000 years ago. At the time the tools were made, three different species of human ancestors lived in the same region of East Africa, said Briana Pobiner, a paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program, who was not involved in the study. The tools may have been made and used by Homo erectus, Homo habilis or Paranthropus boisei. 'It could have been any of these three, but it's almost impossible to know which one,' said Pobiner.
Washington Post
05-03-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
Ancient humans made tools from animal bones 1.5 million years ago
WASHINGTON — Early humans were regularly using animal bones to make cutting tools 1.5 million years ago. A newly discovered cache of 27 carved and sharpened bones from elephants and hippos found in Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge site pushes back the date for ancient bone tool use by around 1 million years. Researchers know that early people made simple tools from stones as early as 3.3 million years ago. The new discovery , published Wednesday in Nature, reveals that ancient humans 'had rather more complex tool kits than previously we thought,' incorporating a variety of materials, said William Harcourt-Smith, a paleoanthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History, who was not involved in the research. The well-preserved bone tools, measuring up to around 16 inches (40 centimeters), were likely made by breaking off the thick ends of leg bones and using a stone to knock off flakes from the remaining bone shaft. This technique was used to create one sharpened edge and one pointed tip, said study co-author Ignacio de la Torre, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council. The bone tools were 'probably used as a hand axe' – a handheld blade that's not mounted on a stick – for butchering dead animals, he said. Such a blade would be handy for removing meat from elephant and hippo carcasses, but not used as a spear or projectile point. 'We don't believe they were hunting these animals. They were probably scavenging,' he said. Some of the artifacts show signs of having been struck to remove flakes more than a dozen times, revealing persistent craftsmanship. The uniform selection of the bones – large and heavy leg bones from specific animals – and the consistent pattern of alteration makes it clear that early humans deliberately chose and carved these bones, said Mírian Pacheco, a paleobiologist at the Federal University of Sao Carlos in Brazil, who was not involved in the study. The bone show minimal signs of erosion, trampling or gnawing by other animals — ruling out the possibility that natural causes resulted in the tool shapes, she added. The bone tools date from more than a million years before our species, Homo sapiens, arose around 300,000 years ago. At the time the tools were made, three different species of human ancestors lived in the same region of East Africa, said Briana Pobiner, a paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program, who was not involved in the study. The tools may have been made and used by Homo erectus, Homo habilis or Paranthropus boisei. 'It could have been any of these three, but it's almost impossible to know which one,' said Pobiner. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
