A 3 Million-Year-Old Discovery May Rewrite the History of Intelligent Life on Earth

See More →For years, researchers have believed that human ancestors in Ethiopia were the first beings to use crude stone tools, about 2.6 million years ago. So-called Oldowan tool-making is often portrayed as something of a landmark in history, allowing for efficient processing of food. Alongside the tools, researchers discovered the bones of two hippos, demonstrating that the hominins were able to utilize the tools to process and eat large animals. “The association of these Nyayanga tools with Paranthropus may reopen the case as to who made the oldest Oldowan tools,” Plummer said in a press release. “Perhaps not only Homo, but other kinds of hominins were processing food with Oldowan technology.”