A 3 million year old stone tool found in Kenya; it is the oldest one ever used by humankind

Archaeologists in Kenya have discovered some of the oldest stone tools, which are 2.9 million years old. This shows that not only Homo sapiens but also other groups of our ancient ancestors used tools

This is reported by BBC.

According to scientists, these tools were used to dismember large animals such as hippos, as well as to grind plants, roots and fruits. Two large fossil teeth belonging to a species of humanoid known as paranthropes were also found at the site.

Previously, scientists assumed that the Olduvai culture tools, the most primitive form of stone tools, were used only by our ancestors Homo sapiens and their close relatives. But no traces of Homo sapiens were found at the excavation site in southern Kenya.

Scientists found that two strong teeth belonged to representatives of the genus Paranthropus, which combined the features of an ape and a human. 330 stone tools were found near the teeth.

"These tools allowed for more efficient cooking," said Professor Rick Potts of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, one of the authors of the study. "The Olduvai technology represents a major step in development that gave our ancient ancestors an additional arsenal for obtaining food on the African savannah."

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"The discovery of these tools next to the remains of paranthropes casts doubt on who exactly created the earliest tools of the Olduvai culture. Perhaps it was not only Homo but other hominid species as well," said anthropologist Thomas Plummer of Queens College in New York, lead author of the study published in Science.

The researchers claim that the discovery of these Olduvai tools shows a significant advancement over previously known unworked stone tools, which are 3.3 million years old and predate the appearance of Homo sapiens.