Ancient bone hand ax identified in China

People may have dug up roots with shovellike tool

Bone hand ax

JAW DIGGER  This 24-centimeter-long hand ax, shown from three angles, is the earliest known bone hand ax from East Asia. Ancient humans used part of a stegadon jaw (left) to make the 170,000-year-old tool.

G. Wei et al/Quaternary International 2015

Researchers say they have identified the first example of a bone, not stone, hand ax crafted by ancient humans in East Asia.