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Health & Science3h 42m ago
A team of international scientists found evidence of the earliest use of fire in the Wonderwerk Cave, pushing back the origin of intentional fire use to as early as 1.8 million years ago.
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Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa
Who
Dr. Liora Kolska Horwitz (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Prof. Michael Chazan (University of Toronto), international researchers
What
A team of international scientists found evidence of the earliest use of fire in the Wonderwerk Cave, pushing back the origin of intentional fire use to as early as 1.8 million years ago.
When
Wed, 17 Jun 2026 02:37:30 GMT · 3h 42m ago
Where
Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa ·
Why
Evidence of burns was detected on fossilized bones deep in the cave using an innovative technique which suggests the fire was intentionally brought there.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This discovery significantly alters the understanding of early human technological capabilities and cognitive evolution by dating the intentional use of fire much earlier than previously thought. The new method developed for detecting burn signs on fossilized bones provides a non-invasive, cost-effective tool that could lead to new findings at prehistoric sites globally.
Story chain
3 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 42m agoA team of international researchers found evidence of the earliest use of fire in the Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa, dating back to 1.8 million years ago.Open article
- Health & Science3h 42m agoA team of international researchers, including Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Dr. Liora Kolska Horwitz, has found evidence of the earliest use of fire in the Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 42m agoA team of international scientists found evidence of the earliest use of fire in the Wonderwerk Cave, pushing back the origin of intentional fire use to as early as 1.8 million years ago.