In a 400,000-year-old hearth, hints of humans taming fire earlier than thought

Daily Mail

Humans discovered fire-making in Britain! Flint tools found in Suffolk reveal our ancient ancestors created their own flames 400,000 years ago

The Washington Times

Study finds humans were making fire 400,000 years ago, far earlier than once thought

Scientific American

Ancient Humans Were Making Fire 350,000 Years Earlier Than Scientists Realized

GB News

Earliest proof of cavemen making fire dating back 400,000 years unearthed in Suffolk

The Daily Telegraph

‘Most exciting discovery’: Earliest evidence of humans making fire 400,000 years ago discovered in UK

Al Jazeera

Oldest evidence of deliberate fire use found in England

BBC News

The moment the earliest known man-made fire was uncovered

Guardian

Humans made fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought, discovery in Suffolk suggests

Archaeologists find earliest known fire made by humans

Natural History Museum

Earliest fire-making dating back 400,000 years unearthed in Suffolk, England

Nature

Earliest evidence of making fire

Financial Times

People made fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought, scientists find 

New Scientist

Oldest evidence of fire-lighting comes from early humans in Britain

Metaculus

When will a Neanderthal be born again?

Archaeologists uncovered evidence at a site in Barnham, Suffolk, England, indicating human fire-making around 400,000 years ago, including a patch of reddened soil heated to over 700 degrees Celsius and fragments of iron pyrite not native to the area.

Archaeologists uncovered evidence at a site in Barnham, Suffolk, England, indicating human fire-making around 400,000 years ago, including a patch of reddened soil heated to over 700 degrees Celsius and fragments of iron pyrite not native to the area.

The Barnham site revealed fire-cracked hand axes and two small nodules of iron pyrite, which can produce sparks when struck against flint, suggesting deliberate transport of the mineral for fire-starting purposes.

The Barnham site revealed fire-cracked hand axes and two small nodules of iron pyrite, which can produce sparks when struck against flint, suggesting deliberate transport of the mineral for fire-starting purposes.

This discovery extends the timeline of known human fire-making by approximately 350,000 years, as prior evidence from a site in northern France dated to 50,000 years ago.

This discovery extends the timeline of known human fire-making by approximately 350,000 years, as prior evidence from a site in northern France dated to 50,000 years ago.

The individuals at the Barnham site were likely early Neanderthals, based on nearby fossils from Swanscombe, Kent, and Atapuerca, Spain, preserving early Neanderthal DNA from around the same period.

The individuals at the Barnham site were likely early Neanderthals, based on nearby fossils from Swanscombe, Kent, and Atapuerca, Spain, preserving early Neanderthal DNA from around the same period.

Control of fire at Barnham provided benefits such as warmth, protection from predators and cooking food, which enhanced digestibility and energy availability, potentially aiding hominin brain evolution.

Control of fire at Barnham provided benefits such as warmth, protection from predators and cooking food, which enhanced digestibility and energy availability, potentially aiding hominin brain evolution.

The findings encourage further examination of ancient sites for fire traces, using geochemical methods to distinguish natural from anthropogenic burning, even where evidence may be altered by environmental processes.

The findings encourage further examination of ancient sites for fire traces, using geochemical methods to distinguish natural from anthropogenic burning, even where evidence may be altered by environmental processes.

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Earliest proof of cavemen making fire dating back 400,000 years unearthed in Suffolk

Archaeology & anthropology

Science & technology

United Kingdom

Neanderthals Mastered Fire 400,000 Years Ago

Neanderthals Mastered Fire 400,000 Years Ago

EarliestNeanderthals proofMastered ofFire cavemen making fire dating back 400,000 yearsYears unearthed in SuffolkAgo

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Neanderthals Mastered Fire 400,000 Years Ago

EarliestNeanderthals proofMastered ofFire cavemen making fire dating back 400,000 yearsYears unearthed in SuffolkAgo

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