Revolutionary artificial intelligence analysis of ancient fossils has overturned long-standing assumptions about when humans first rose from prey to predator. Groundbreaking research led by Rice University anthropologist Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo demonstrates that Homo habilis, previously thought to be among the first human hunters, were still being systematically hunted by leopards around 2 million years ago. The study conclusions challenge decades of scientific understanding about humanity's earliest evolutionary steps toward dominance.
Game-Changing Technology Rewrites Prehistoric Narrative
The breakthrough, whose findings have just been published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, emerged through the pioneering application of artificial intelligence to fossil analysis, marking the first time computer vision has been trained to identify specific predator bite marks on ancient bones. Domínguez-Rodrigo, working in partnership with the Archaeological and Paleontological Museum of Madrid through the Institute of Evolution in Africa, developed deep learning models capable of distinguishing tooth mark patterns left by different carnivores with unprecedented precision.
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"Human experts have been good at finding modifications on prehistoric bones, but there were too many carnivores at that time," Domínguez-Rodrigo explained. "AI has opened new doors of understanding." The computer vision models were trained to recognize damage patterns from leopards, lions, hyenas, crocodiles, and wolves, achieving accuracy levels impossible through traditional analysis methods alone.
When the AI models analyzed tooth marks on H. habilis fossils from Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, they consistently identified leopard bite marks with remarkable confidence. This discovery fundamentally challenges the narrative that H. habilis represented humanity's transition from hunted to hunter approximately 2.5 million years ago.
Redefining Human Evolution's Timeline
For decades, researchers believed Homo habilis marked the pivotal moment when humans rose from prey to predators. These early humans were credited as the first stone tool users and among the earliest meat eaters, based on archaeological evidence from early sites. However, the coexistence of H. habilis with African Homo erectus around 2 million years ago had created uncertainty about which species was actually responsible for tool-making and hunting behaviors.
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The new findings suggest that H. habilis remained vulnerable to predation far longer than previously thought. "We discovered that these very early humans were eaten by other carnivores instead of mastering the landscape at that time," Domínguez-Rodrigo noted. This revelation indicates that human brain growth did not immediately translate to environmental dominance, painting a more complex picture of early human survival strategies.
Detailed view of predator bite marks preserved in ancient human fossil remains. (Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo/Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences)
The research team's analysis focused specifically on fossils showing clear evidence of leopard predation, identified through the distinctive tooth mark patterns that only these big cats produce. "For the first time, we can pinpoint not just that these humans were eaten but by whom," Domínguez-Rodrigo emphasized, highlighting the unprecedented specificity that AI analysis provides.
Implications for Understanding Human Ancestry
This discovery forces a fundamental reevaluation of when humans truly began to dominate their environment. Rather than a single evolutionary leap from prey to predator, the evidence suggests human evolution involved a gradual, complex climb toward environmental mastery. The findings indicate that even as early human brains began enlarging, these hominins remained vulnerable to systematic predation by specialized hunters like leopards.
The implications extend beyond H. habilis specifically, suggesting that human evolution in Africa followed a more protracted and challenging path than previously understood. These early humans lived in environments populated by formidable predators, requiring survival strategies that balanced emerging tool use with persistent vulnerability to attack.
Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo during archaeological fieldwork in East Africa. (Photo by Scotto Solomon/Rice University)
The study opens new possibilities for analyzing other early human fossils using similar AI methodologies. Domínguez-Rodrigo believes these techniques could help map exactly when humans transitioned from prey to predator across different regions and time periods, potentially uncovering additional chapters in humanity's evolutionary story that have remained hidden for millions of years.
As the first research center pioneering AI applications in paleontological and anthropological research, Rice University's collaboration with IDEA represents a new frontier in understanding human origins. The methodology promises to revolutionize how scientists analyze ancient remains, providing unprecedented insight into the complex relationships between early humans and their predators throughout Africa's prehistoric landscapes.
Top image: Early human fossil skull showing leopard bite marks embedded in bone, revealing evidence of predation 2 million years ago. Source: Rice University News
By Gary Manners
References
Domínguez-Rodrigo, M., Vegara-Riquelme, M., & Baquedano, E. (2025). Early humans and the balance of power: Homo habilis as prey. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Available at: https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.15321
Rice University News. (2025). Rice anthropologist among first to use AI to uncover new clues that early humans were prey, not predators. Available at: https://news.rice.edu/news/2025/rice-anthropologist-among-first-use-ai-uncover-new-clues-early-humans-were-prey-not
