146,000-Year-Old Discovery Rewrites the Story of Human Creativity

A new dating study places the stone tools from China’s Lingjing site at about 146,000 years ago.

Researchers used crystals preserved in a prehistoric bone to revise the site’s age during a severe ice age.

The tools, made by Homo juluensis, show organized core reduction and careful planning.

The findings suggest advanced cognitive abilities and push sophisticated toolmaking in East Asia deeper into the past.