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Time-Traveling Find: Researchers Stumble Upon 500,000-Year-Old Wooden Marvel
The findings were made by scientists from British universities: the University of Liverpool and Aberystwyth. The age of the wooden structure relics was determined to be 476,000 years old. This means it was crafted by a predecessor of modern humans, Homo sapiens. The researchers have just published their findings in the prestigious journal “Nature.”
Remnants of the foundations or platform at Kalambo Falls
The remnants of the structure consist of two trunks worked with stone tools that were connected to each other. According to scientists, they may be the remains of a platform. It could have been used for sitting by the river and performing daily tasks. There is another interpretation as well; it might have been the foundation of a hut or some other type of shelter.
“This finding has changed my thinking about our early ancestors. Let’s forget the label ‘Stone Age.’ Let’s look at what these people did: they created something new from a large piece of wood. They used their intelligence, imagination, and skills to create something they had never seen before. It was something that had never existed before,” said Prof. Larry Barham from the University of Liverpool, who is also the lead author of the publication in “Nature.”
