Archeologists know early humans used stone to make tools long before the time of Homo sapiens. But a new discovery out this week in Nature suggests early humans in eastern Africa were also using animal bones – one million years earlier than researchers previously thought. The finding suggests that these early humans were intentionally shaping animal materials – like elephant and hippopotamus bones – to make tools and that it could indicate advancements in early human cognition. Want more on early human history? Email us at [email protected]. Listen to Short Wave on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Hey, Shortwavers, Rachel Carlson here and Emily Kwong with our biweekly science news roundup featuring the hosts of All Things Considered. And today we have Ari Shapiro.
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Welcome to the Shortwave Rodeo.
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Where we have for you a new flower, the woolly devil, found in a national park. Drinking lemonade in virtual reality.
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And how early humans may have made tools out of bone 1.5 million years ago.
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