Rare 300,000-year-old wooden tools found in China reveal diet secrets of early humans [View all]

Until now, only two discoveries have been made of wooden tools from this period

Vishwam Sankaran
Friday 04 July 2025 11:14 BST

A trove of rare 300,000-year-old wooden tools unearthed in south-west China reveals that early humans in the region may have relied heavily on underground plants like roots and tubers for sustenance.

The findings, published on Thursday in the journal Science, throw light on the advanced cognitive skills of early human ancestors in East Asia and their lives, diet, and environment.

This rare find was made due to the wooden tools being preserved in oxygen-deprived clay sediments at the archaeological lakeshore site of Gantangqing in Jiangchuan, Yunnan province.

Researchers also found nearly 1,000 organic remains among the sediments.

Using advanced techniques, scientists dated the uncovered remains to establish the age of the tools between 250,000-350,000 years old.

More:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/early-humans-tools-diet-china-b2782613.html