Simple Logs May Be Oldest Human-built Wood Structure
2023-09-27
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1Researchers have found a structure that may be the oldest evidence yet of early humans building with wood.
2The structure is simple: two logs, fitted together with a notch.
3It is half a million years old. It provides a rare look at how ancient human relatives were working with wood and changing their environments, researchers wrote in a study published recently in Nature.
4Larry Barham of the University of Liverpool in Britain was one of the writers of the study.
5Barham said, "It took me a while before I appreciated what we were looking at."
6He added about the structure, "It didn't look very nice, to be honest. But it is much more complex than I thought."
7Barham and his team dug up the log structure, and several wooden tools, from a riverbed area that sits above a waterfall in the African country of Zambia.
8They think the crossed logs could have been the base for a bigger structure like a walkway or a platform.
9Barham explained that wood usually rots quickly due to the weather.
10As a result, little evidence remains of how our ancient relatives used the material.
11But the log structure that researchers found had been below the river's surface, which helped save them.
12So when Barham's team found the logs in 2019, they were still able to see signs that early humans had shaped them.
13"Everything just looks so fresh, you think, 'It cannot be this old,'" Barham said.
14It was difficult for researchers to estimate the age of the wood structure.
15Traditional dating techniques could not get deep enough into the past.
16In this study, researchers used a new method called "luminescence dating."
17Luminescence dating uses tiny minerals in the sand to estimate how long materials have been buried, explained study writer Geoff Duller.
18Duller is an expert in dating methods at Aberystwyth University in Wales.
19The log structure was made at least 476,000 years ago, while the wood tools are slightly younger, under 400,000 years old.
20That places the materials in a time before our species, Homo sapiens.
21The earliest-known Homo sapiens bones date from roughly 300,000 years ago in Morocco.
22The Kalambo Falls logs were determined to be from about 476,000 years ago.
23The objects would have been made by another kind of early human relative - possibly Homo heidelbergensis, which was around in Africa at the time, the study's writers said.
24Homo heidelbergensis had a bigger braincase and flatter face than earlier hominins - species on the human evolutionary lineage.
25If these ancient humans were putting effort into building these structures, it suggests they may have stayed for a while or made repeated visits.
26In other words, they were not just groups of hunter-gatherers, said Dirk Leder of Germany's Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage.
27Leder was not involved with the research.
28Annemieke Milks of Britain's University of Reading was also not involved in the study.
29Milks said about the finding, "It's an important window into what these humans were capable of."
30I'm John Russell.
1Researchers have found a structure that may be the oldest evidence yet of early humans building with wood. 2The structure is simple: two logs, fitted together with a notch. 3It is half a million years old. It provides a rare look at how ancient human relatives were working with wood and changing their environments, researchers wrote in a study published recently in Nature. 4Larry Barham of the University of Liverpool in Britain was one of the writers of the study. Barham said, "It took me a while before I appreciated what we were looking at." He added about the structure, "It didn't look very nice, to be honest. But it is much more complex than I thought." 5Barham and his team dug up the log structure, and several wooden tools, from a riverbed area that sits above a waterfall in the African country of Zambia. They think the crossed logs could have been the base for a bigger structure like a walkway or a platform. 6Barham explained that wood usually rots quickly due to the weather. As a result, little evidence remains of how our ancient relatives used the material. But the log structure that researchers found had been below the river's surface, which helped save them. 7So when Barham's team found the logs in 2019, they were still able to see signs that early humans had shaped them. 8"Everything just looks so fresh, you think, 'It cannot be this old,'" Barham said. 9It was difficult for researchers to estimate the age of the wood structure. Traditional dating techniques could not get deep enough into the past. In this study, researchers used a new method called "luminescence dating." 10Luminescence dating uses tiny minerals in the sand to estimate how long materials have been buried, explained study writer Geoff Duller. 11Duller is an expert in dating methods at Aberystwyth University in Wales. 12The log structure was made at least 476,000 years ago, while the wood tools are slightly younger, under 400,000 years old. That places the materials in a time before our species, Homo sapiens. 13The earliest-known Homo sapiens bones date from roughly 300,000 years ago in Morocco. The Kalambo Falls logs were determined to be from about 476,000 years ago. 14The objects would have been made by another kind of early human relative - possibly Homo heidelbergensis, which was around in Africa at the time, the study's writers said. 15Homo heidelbergensis had a bigger braincase and flatter face than earlier hominins - species on the human evolutionary lineage. 16If these ancient humans were putting effort into building these structures, it suggests they may have stayed for a while or made repeated visits. In other words, they were not just groups of hunter-gatherers, said Dirk Leder of Germany's Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage. Leder was not involved with the research. 17Annemieke Milks of Britain's University of Reading was also not involved in the study. Milks said about the finding, "It's an important window into what these humans were capable of." 18I'm John Russell. 19Maddie Burakoff reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20____________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22notch - n. a small cut that is shaped like a V 23appreciate - v. to understand the worth or importance of something 24platform -- n. a flat surface that is raised higher than the floor or ground 25rot - v. to slowly decay 26species -- n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants 27lineage - n. a chain of species each of which is considered to have evolved from one before