
WASHINGTON — Early humans were regularly using animal bones to make cutting tools 1.5 million years ago. Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscription Get exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading. A newly discovered cache of 27 carved and sharpened bones from elephants and hippos found in Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge site pushes back the date for ancient bone tool use by around 1 million years. Researchers know that early people made simple tools from stones as early as 3.3 million years ago.
Main Idea: Researchers found 1.5-million-year-old bone tools in Tanzania, showing early humans used more than stone to make cutting tools much earlier than thought.
Key Points:
No clear negative impact identified.
The find adds knowledge about human history and may help museums, schools, and researchers teach how early tools shaped technology.
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Named researcher quoted affirming the deliberate toolmaking; supportive context only.
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