News Humans

From the ashes, the oldest controlled fire

South Africa cave yields earliest evidence of human ancestors lighting blaze

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

A 1 million-year-old fire lit by human ancestors has flickered back to life in a South Africa cave.

BURNED BIT A tiny piece of charred bone (arrow), evidence of an ancient controlled fire, comes from Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa, a site inhabited by human ancestors about 1 million years ago.