✓ Source-backedScience & Systems

Burned bones push human fire use back 1.8 million years, to Homo erectus

Burned bones from Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa suggest Homo erectus was using fire 1.8 million years ago, nearly doubling the oldest known evidence.

Why it mattersPushing human fire use back to 1.8 million years shifts understanding of when our ancestors gained the ability to cook food and reshape their environments.