Article: Ancestral cut-ups.(evidence of stone-cuts on fossilized man)(Brief Article)

Microscopic analysis of a 1.4-million-to-2.4-million-year-old Homo upper jaw has yielded the earliest evidence of human ancestors cutting one another apart with stone implements much as they butchered animals.

The fossil jaw, previously found in South Africa's Sterkfontein cave, bears several incisions made by sharpened stone tools, reports Travis R. Pickering of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The position and arrangement of the cuts suggest that a facial muscle was sliced off in order to remove the lower jaw from the rest of the skull, Pickering says. A wide range of butchered animals display comparable incisions on their jaws, he and his coworkers assert.

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!