Ancestors used fire 1 mil. years ago? - Chicago Sun-Times

By MALCOLM RITTER AP Science Writer April 2, 2012 11:14PM

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In an undated photo provided by Michael Chazen, Paul Goldberg takes samples in Excavation 1 at Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa. Scientists said Monday, April 2, 2012 that they've found the earliest firm evidence of human ancestors using fire: material about 1 million years old in in Wonderwerk cave. Burned bones and microscopic ash in the dirt suggests fire frequently burned there, apparently under the control of our ancestor Homo erectus, researchers said. (AP Photo/courtesy of Michael Chazan)

Updated: April 2, 2012 11:39PM

NEW YORK — When did our ancestors first use fire? That's been a long-running debate, and now a new study concludes the earliest firm evidence comes from about 1 million years ago in a South African cave.

Ash and burnt bone samples found there suggest fires frequently burned in that spot, researchers said Monday.

Over the years, some experts have cited evidence of fire from as long as 1.5 million years ago, and some have argued it was used even earlier, a key step toward evolution of a larger brain. It's a tricky issue. Even if you find evidence of an ancient blaze, how do you know it wasn't just a wildfire?

The new research makes "a pretty strong case" for the site in South Africa's Wonderwerk Cave, said Francesco Berna of Boston University, who presents the work with colleagues in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

One expert said the new finding should be considered together with a previous discovery nearby, of about the same age. Burnt bones also have been found in the Swartkrans cave, not far from the new site, and the combination makes a stronger case than either one alone. AP