New discoveries show early humans lived in the frigid north alongside Neanderthals

Ancient human bones and a stone-age ropemaking tool are re-writing human history

Amanda Buckiewicz · CBC News · Posted: Feb 02, 2024 2:25 PM CST | Last Updated: February 2


Several recent discoveries unveiled this week are shedding light on the lives of ancient humans, and their inventiveness and resilience as they initially spread around the world.

First, three papers published in the journal Nature describe the discovery of human bones at a cave near Ranis, in northern Germany. Detailed analysis of the bones and sediments from the cave suggest the humans were there 45,000 years ago, surprising archaeologists who previously believed humans stuck to warmer climates at the time.

"It really goes against that kind of established model of how humans were able to spread to new habitats," says Sarah Pederzani from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. "So it's really interesting because it shows that they were already much more adaptable than we originally thought."

In a different cave in southwestern Germany, archaeologists have uncovered a tool made out of ivory that they believe ancient humans would have used to spin rope over 35,000 years ago. The discovery was described in the journal Science.

More:
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/homo-sapiens-braved-cold-made-rope-1.7103130