Back
47· Steady
Health & Science3h 27m ago
An international team led in part by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has uncovered evidence suggesting that early human ancestors were using fire in South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave between 1.07 million and 1.79 million years ago.
Archive Window: 7 Days Left
Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa
Who
researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Dr. Liora Kolska Horwitz, Prof. Michael Chazan
What
An international team led in part by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has uncovered evidence suggesting that early human ancestors were using fire in South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave between 1.07 million and 1.79 million years ago.
When
Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:22:22 GMT · 3h 27m ago
Where
Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa ·
Why
The findings, published in PLOS One, extend the chronology of known fire use and offer fresh insight into how early human beings may have harnessed naturally occurring fire long before learning to create it themselves.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This research significantly pushes back the timeline for human fire use, suggesting early human ancestors actively engaged with fire over a million years ago, which has implications for understanding human evolution and the development of early societies.
Story chain
3 events in this thread- Health & Science2h 57m agoA new study has uncovered evidence that early human ancestors were using fire in South Africa's Wonderwerk Cave between 1.07 and 1.79 million years ago, extending the chronology of one of the earliest known records of fire use associated with hominins.Open article
- Health & Science2h 57m agoA new study has uncovered evidence that early human ancestors were using fire in South Africa's Wonderwerk Cave between 1.07 and 1.79 million years ago.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 27m agoAn international team led in part by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has uncovered evidence suggesting that early human ancestors were using fire in South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave between 1.07 million and 1.79 million years ago.