Image by Carolyn Cuskey licensed under CC BY 2.0
Scientists recently discovered a variety of million-year-old stone tools in Kenya. These discoveries allow archaeologists to better understand our early human ancestors’ lives and how they developed more sophisticated tools as time went on. As it turns out, there are some important parallels between ancient stone tools and modern technologies. Listen to learn more about this exciting find and hear how it relates to life today.
Story Length: 2:00
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June 15, 2016
2:52
In a cave in France, 176,000 years ago, a group of Neanderthals arranged large stones in circles. The meaning of this is a mystery, but they showed signs of being burned. This could have been for warmth, protection, or as a part of a ritual. This stone circle was found deep in a cave and shows that Neanderthals went underground and far from light. This discovery is sparking debate about the previous understanding of the intelligence of human predecessors. Listen to hear more about this discovery.
Read MoreOctober 16, 2014
3:35
Cave painting has long been thought to be developed by early humans in Europe. A new discovery of equally old cave paintings on an island in Indonesia has upset this perspective and is pushing scientists to look even farther back to our human origins in Africa. Listen to this public radio story to hear more about the cave paintings themselves and to learn how archeologists discovered their true age.
Read MoreFebruary 5, 2014
3:54
One of the first instances of a plague was found during the Roman Empire. The plague, which occurred during the 6th century, spread through Europe, Africa, and Asia. Today, an ancient burial site may hold DNA evidence of why and how it occurred. Listen to this story to learn the difference between ancient and modern bacteria.
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