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A physical replica of the skull of a human ancestor living during that period, likely a very early Neanderthal, was studied to understand who might have been responsible for these fire-making activities. Features on the skull suggested it belonged to an early Neanderthal, implying that these archaic humans mastered fire generation, challenging previous notions of their technological capabilities.

Implications for Human Evolution

The discovery pushes back the timeline for controlled fire usage by over three centuries. Traditionally, it was thought that humans learned to harness fire approximately 350,000 years ago. Now, evidence suggests that Neanderthal-like ancestors could create fire as early as 400,000 years ago.