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2.4-million-year-old tools found in Algeria could upend human origin story

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  • 2.4-million-year-old tools found in Algeria could upend human origin story

    New discovery of our ancestry of tool making.

    Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/30/24-million-year-old-tools-found-algeria-could-upend-human-origin/



    2.4-million-year-old tools found in Algeria could upend human origin story

    Archaeologists in Algeria have discovered stone tools and cut animal bones that may be up to 2.4 million years old, bringing into question East Africa's title as the cradle of humanity, according to research published Thursday in the journal Science.

    The artifacts - more ancient than those discovered in the region until now - were found in Setif, some 200 miles (300 kilometres) east of Algiers, by a team of international researchers, including Algerians.

    The tools closely resemble those called Oldowan, found until now mainly in East Africa.

    The tools were unearthed near dozens of fossilised animal bones which contained cut marks, as if relics of prehistoric butchers.

    The bones came from animals including the ancestors of crocodiles, elephants and hippopotamuses.

    "East Africa is widely considered to be the birthplace of stone tool use by our ancient hominid ancestors - the earliest examples of which date as far back as about 2.6 million years ago," said the report in Science.

    "The new findings make Ain Boucherit the oldest site in northern Africa with in situ evidence of hominin meat use with associated stone tools and they suggest that other similarly early sites could be found outside of the Eastern Africa Rift."

    © Copyright Original Source



    Worth a read of the whole reference.
    Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
    Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
    But will they come when you do call for them? Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Act III:

    go with the flow the river knows . . .

    Frank

    I do not know, therefore everything is in pencil.

  • #2
    Originally posted by shunyadragon View Post
    New discovery of our ancestry of tool making.

    Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/30/24-million-year-old-tools-found-algeria-could-upend-human-origin/



    2.4-million-year-old tools found in Algeria could upend human origin story

    Archaeologists in Algeria have discovered stone tools and cut animal bones that may be up to 2.4 million years old, bringing into question East Africa's title as the cradle of humanity, according to research published Thursday in the journal Science.

    The artifacts - more ancient than those discovered in the region until now - were found in Setif, some 200 miles (300 kilometres) east of Algiers, by a team of international researchers, including Algerians.

    The tools closely resemble those called Oldowan, found until now mainly in East Africa.

    The tools were unearthed near dozens of fossilised animal bones which contained cut marks, as if relics of prehistoric butchers.

    The bones came from animals including the ancestors of crocodiles, elephants and hippopotamuses.

    "East Africa is widely considered to be the birthplace of stone tool use by our ancient hominid ancestors - the earliest examples of which date as far back as about 2.6 million years ago," said the report in Science.

    "The new findings make Ain Boucherit the oldest site in northern Africa with in situ evidence of hominin meat use with associated stone tools and they suggest that other similarly early sites could be found outside of the Eastern Africa Rift."

    © Copyright Original Source



    Worth a read of the whole reference.
    Yet the oldest tools are still found in East Africa making the "could upend human origin story" part a bit premature. Personally, I'm not surprised that human ancestors capable of such tool usage spread out more than just a small region around the Eastern African Rift.

    I'm always still in trouble again

    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

    Comment


    • #3
      yay. we found some of Mossy's missing tools.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by mikewhitney View Post
        yay. we found some of Mossy's missing tools.
        Rumor has it that one of the wheels of Fred Flintstone's car was originally one of mossy's first The PINs™



        I'm always still in trouble again

        "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
        "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
        "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
          Yet the oldest tools are still found in East Africa making the "could upend human origin story" part a bit premature. Personally, I'm not surprised that human ancestors capable of such tool usage spread out more than just a small region around the Eastern African Rift.
          The layman headline is a bit meaningless, and describing it as 'upending human origin story' is nonsense. It just pushed back the tool making history of our primate ancestors in Africa.
          Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
          Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
          But will they come when you do call for them? Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Act III:

          go with the flow the river knows . . .

          Frank

          I do not know, therefore everything is in pencil.

          Comment


          • #6
            The first homo species appeared in Africa ~3 million years ago, and Northern Africa climate was changing from forest to grass lands. Actually what this discovery reveals is that tool utilizing Homo was spread all across the North African grassland plains by 2.5 million years ago where there was an ideal climate and abundant heard animals. The new evidence says less about origins, but more concerning the extent of the Homo tool making species at that time.

            It is likely that Homo were nuclear family small tribal (pack?)nomadic hunter gatherer groups that hunted in the grassland plains of the time. There nomadic journeys were likely centered on stone resources like flint, and followed seasonal migration of animal herds.
            Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
            Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
            But will they come when you do call for them? Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Act III:

            go with the flow the river knows . . .

            Frank

            I do not know, therefore everything is in pencil.

            Comment


            • #7
              WHY are ALL these threads about me??



              Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by mossrose View Post
                WHY are ALL these threads about me??

                Cause you were around back then.

                I'm always still in trouble again

                "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                  Cause you were around back then.
                  Prove it!



                  Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by mossrose View Post
                    Prove it!

                    That's what so many folks say when something is true but don't want to admit it.

                    I'm always still in trouble again

                    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                      That's what so many folks say when something is true but don't want to admit it.
                      You need to cite a source, don't you know?


                      Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

                      Comment

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