The discovery of prehistoric tools has turned the idea of ​​human ancestors

Stone tools mark 3-million-year-old mystery

The discovery of stone tools, dating back 3 million years, provokes disputes among scientists about the still unsolvable mystery of the prehistoric relatives of modern man.

The discovery of stone tools dating back almost 3 million years has raised questions about what kind of hominin was behind the ancient technology.

According to The Guardian, artifacts found at excavations in Kenya are believed to be the oldest known example of a specific set of stone tools used to butcher meat and grind plant materials. The appearance of such a tool is regarded as a milestone in human evolution and was considered an innovation of our ancestors.

However, recent excavations have revealed a pair of massive molars belonging to Paranthropus, a muscular jawed hominin, on a side branch of our evolutionary tree, along with tools.

“Researchers have long assumed that only the genus Homo, to which humans belong, was capable of making stone tools,” said Professor Rick Potts of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, senior author of the study. “But the discovery of a paranthropus near these stone tools opens up a fascinating mystery.”

Excavations in western Kenya have also unearthed the oldest evidence of hominins eating very large animals, with the remains of at least three individual hippos found. Two incomplete skeletons contained bones with traces of cutting. There were also antelope bones that showed signs of cutting the flesh or grinding to extract the marrow.

An analysis of the wear pattern of 30 stone tools showed that they were used for cutting, scraping and grinding animals and plants. The artifacts date back to about 2 million years before humans mastered fire, so tool makers must have eaten hippopotamus and antelope meat raw, perhaps grinding it into something like tartare to make it easier to chew.

The study, published in the journal Science, dated the artifacts to between 2.6 million and 3 million years old using radioisotope analysis and a variety of other methods. Previously, crude stone tools have been dated as only 3.3 million years old, before the appearance of the genus Homo. But the tools from the latest excavations have been significantly improved, and scientists believe that this has opened up new possibilities. Tools included hammer stones used for stabbing and scales used for cutting and scraping.

“With these tools, you can crush better than an elephant’s molars and cut better than a lion’s fangs,” says Professor Potts. “This technology was like suddenly having a whole new set of teeth outside of your body, and it opened up a new variety of food for our ancestors on the African savannah.”

Professor Fred Spoor of the University of California, who was not involved in the study, said the findings could prompt rethinking of the capabilities of members of the Paranthropus genus (also known as massive Australopithecus). “Paranthropus suffers from the image of a stupid herbivore,” he said. Perception is strongly influenced by gorillas, which is why we think of them as big, fat creatures that sit around eating celery all day long. The possibility that the Paranthropus made these tools is quite intriguing.”