Scientists find evidence that human ancestors used fire one million years ago

[DavidDvorkin]

An international team led by the University of Toronto and Hebrew University has identified the earliest known evidence of the use of fire by human ancestors. Microscopic traces of wood ash, alongside animal bones and stone tools, were found in a layer dated to one million years ago at the Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-04/uot-sfe_1032812.php


So it wasn't the Neanderthals, after all.

[snooper2]

1. Fire to cook meat, cooked meat lasts longer, good for brain development

Brain development gave us Intertubes

now we can make fun of Justin Bieber globally--



I thank my human ancestors

[xchrom]

2. Du rec. Nt

[RZM]

3. I've heard this kind of argument before

I think people have long speculated that some archaic species knew how to use fire. Being able to make fire is a different story.

It makes sense that a species could learn the benefits of fire long before they possessed ability to actually make it from scratch.

[Johnny Rico]

5. It seems only reasonable that some of our ancestors such as Homo Erectus would have used

"found" fires before they figured out how to make it own their own.

[RZM]

9. Yeah, that's pretty much what I was getting at

Fires occur naturally all the time. So it makes sense that sooner or later they would have stumbled up the fact that they can use it.

[Warren Stupidity]

12. Well hominids were making tools for much longer than that.

So why would they not figure out how to make and keep fires? The tool evidence is rather compelling and goes back at least 1.8my. I think it is likely that the use of fire will also get pushed further back. Using and making (or at least keeping) fire are not huge leaps.

[RZM]

19. I can see them keeping fire anyway

Figuring out that throwing shit on it keeps it going until it rains. I think I've heard that before - that for a while they might have kept natural fires going 24/7 for as long as possible

[IcyPeas]

4. but, but the earth is only 6,000 years old

[gratuitous]

8. Oh, that God!

What a trickster. Making it look like something happened a million years ago (or a million billion brazillion), just to confuse those pagan scientists! Those egghead scientists are going to feel awful damn foolish when they meet Jesus riding on a T-Rex when they get up to Heaven only to be told they're going to h-e-double hockey sticks!

[awoke_in_2003]

16. the devil has nothing better to do...

than to plant fossils and other such "evidence" to confuse our little minds

[Kalidurga]

6. Someday they will prove my theory of sea travel as well..

I think that people came from Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia, also the Southern East Coast of Africa, long before they have been given credit for. It would not surprise me if the Kennewick Man is from this area. Some would say he is possibly Ainu, but I am not so sure, I don't think it would have been as possible for the more northern Asians to make the trip to Washington State, but I would not be in total shock if they had.

[dipsydoodle]

7. Scandinavia is not Asia.

.

[Kalidurga]

13. Yes I know this.

Kennewick Man was not Scandinavian.

[randome]

15. That's a lot of nesias.

What about amnesia?

[greyl]

10. Why do you say "it wasn't the Neanderthals, after all"? nt

[DavidDvorkin]

17. I thought that they were credited with discovering fire.

[TheKentuckian]

11. The Reich Wing has been pissy ever since. Fire is communist!

[wilt the stilt]

14. The three most important inventions

fire
metallurgy
cruise control

[DavidDvorkin]

18. What about drugs and rock 'n' roll?