Evolution & Human Origins

In central China, scientists have spent over a decade excavating and studying the Lingjing archaeological site, a place where ancient humans once butchered animals. Amidst the fossilized bones, archaeologists have uncovered complex stone tools that would have required a significant level of intelligence and foresight to manufacture. A recent analysis, based on crystals growing inside one of the bones, has revealed that the site actually dates back to a harsh ice age 146,000 years ago. This discovery challenges long-held ideas that early humanity only became creative during warmer times of plenty, suggesting instead that Ice Age stone tools were a necessary adaptation for survival. “People often imagine creativity as something that flourishes in good times,” explained Yuchao Zhao, the assistant