Latest news with #earlyHumans
The Independent
3 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
What the discovery of 300,000-year-old tools reveals about what early humans ate
A significant trove of 300,000-year-old wooden tools has been unearthed at the Gantangqing archaeological site in Yunnan province, south-west China. These rare tools, preserved in oxygen-deprived clay sediments, suggest that early human ancestors in East Asia primarily relied on underground plants such as roots and tubers for sustenance. Unlike the hunting implements found in Europe and Africa from the same period, the Chinese tools include digging sticks and unique hook-shaped implements, indicating a distinct plant-based survival strategy. The findings, published in the journal Science, shed light on the advanced cognitive skills of early humans in the region and challenge previous assumptions about early human adaptation and diet. This discovery fills a notable gap in the archaeological record, demonstrating that wooden tools were used by early humans across a broader global range and adapted to diverse local environments.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
Rare 300,000-year-old wooden tools found in China reveal diet secrets of early humans
A trove of rare 300,000-year-old wooden tools unearthed in south-west China reveals that early humans in the region may have relied heavily on underground plants like roots and tubers for sustenance. The findings, published on Thursday in the journal Science, throw light on the advanced cognitive skills of early human ancestors in East Asia and their lives, diet, and environment. This rare find was made due to the wooden tools being preserved in oxygen-deprived clay sediments at the archaeological lakeshore site of Gantangqing in Jiangchuan, Yunnan province. Researchers also found nearly 1,000 organic remains among the sediments. Using advanced techniques, scientists dated the uncovered remains to establish the age of the tools between 250,000-350,000 years old. The 'extremely rare' wooden tools, which appear in varieties of forms and functions, were extracted from layers dating to around 300,000 years old, scientists say. Until now, only two previously known discoveries have been made of wooden tools from this period – one in Europe and one in Africa. Two of the newly uncovered sticks appeared similar to those found at Italy's Poggetti Vecchi site, dating to 171,000 years old. Four unique hook-shaped tools were also uncovered and were likely used for cutting roots, scientists say. Researchers also found signs of deliberate polishing on the wooden tools, scraping marks and soil residues on the tool edges, indicating they were used for digging underground plants such as tubers and roots. 'The wooden implements include digging sticks and small, complete, hand-held pointed tools,' scientists wrote. Based on these findings, scientists suspect these East Asian human ancestors likely followed a plant-based diet, with evidence of pine nuts, hazelnuts, kiwi fruit and aquatic tubers found at the site. In comparison, the wooden tools uncovered in Europe and Africa were hunting implements, spears, and spear tips. 'The discovery challenges previous assumptions about early human adaptation. While contemporary European sites (like Schöningen in Germany) focused on hunting large mammals, Gantangqing reveals a unique plant-based survival strategy in the subtropics,' said archaeologist Bo Li, a co-author of the study. 'The diversity and sophistication of the wooden tools also fill a significant gap in the archaeological record, as pre-100,000-year-old wooden tools are extremely rare outside Africa and Western Eurasia,' Dr Li said. The discovery reveals that wooden tools were in use by early humans living in a much wider range across the globe. It also suggests that prehistoric cultures living in different environments developed tools useful to them locally.
Khaleej Times
6 days ago
- Science
- Khaleej Times
Sharjah: 80,000-year-old tools found in Jebel Faya, showing early humans stayed in Arabia
Archaeologists have uncovered 80,000-year-old stone tools at Jebel Faya in Sharjah, providing groundbreaking evidence of sophisticated early human activity in the Arabian Peninsula and revealing a continuous human presence spanning 210,000 years. The discovery gains additional significance as Sheikh Dr Sultan Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has issued an administrative decision approving the boundaries of the Al Faya site for its Unesco World Heritage List nomination. According to the decision, the location, boundaries, and area of Al Faya outlined in the approved map are officially nominated as a cultural heritage site. The archaeological findings, published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences journal, demonstrate that early Homo sapiens did not merely pass through Arabia but established long-term settlements, adapting to the region's unpredictable climate and developing advanced toolmaking techniques. The international research project was led by the Sharjah Archaeology Authority (SAA) in partnership with universities in Germany and the UK, funded by the German Research Foundation and the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences. The evidence links human presence to Marine Isotope Stage 5a (MIS 5a), a period of dramatic environmental shifts when monsoons from the Indian Ocean transformed Arabia's deserts into green landscapes with lakes and grasslands. What sets the Jebel Faya inhabitants apart is their sophisticated toolmaking technique called bidirectional reduction; it is a method requiring precise, strategic strikes to both ends of a stone core to create elongated blades and flakes. 'This wasn't random knapping,' says Dr Bretzke. 'Bidirectional reduction required foresight. It's like a chef filleting a fish — each strike intentional, each angle calculated. The goal was to maximise material efficiency, preserving the raw stone for future use. It reflects deep environmental knowledge and an extraordinary level of cognitive skill.' The multipurpose tools were designed for hunting, butchering, processing plants, and crafting additional implements, demonstrating that technology was both survival and culture for these early inhabitants. Jebel Faya preserves a near-continuous archaeological record from 210,000 to 80,000 years ago — a rarity in Arabian archaeology. Using luminescence dating, researchers determined that early humans either continuously occupied or repeatedly returned to this site across different climate phases. 'The discoveries at Jebel Faya show that resilience, adaptability, and innovation are among the most defining traits of humanity,' said Eisa Yousif, Director of SAA. 'These tools reflect a profound relationship between people and their land. As we advance our efforts to nominate the Faya Palaeolandscape for UNESCO recognition, we are reminded of how our shared past continues to shape who we are and who we may become.'
