In today’s issue of Nature, researchers report a discovery of more than 7,000 stone tools showing a distinct upgrade in stone-shaping techniques — including advanced blades, points and scrapers — dating as far back as 385,000 years ago.

Their findings suggest that modern stone tools were being made in India 250,000 years earlier than previously thought. The question is by whom?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/india-stone-tools-africa-exit-human-early-movement-travel-earth-mystery-a8189051.html

PermeateFree said:

In today’s issue of Nature, researchers report a discovery of more than 7,000 stone tools showing a distinct upgrade in stone-shaping techniques — including advanced blades, points and scrapers — dating as far back as 385,000 years ago.

Their findings suggest that modern stone tools were being made in India 250,000 years earlier than previously thought. The question is by whom?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/india-stone-tools-africa-exit-human-early-movement-travel-earth-mystery-a8189051.html

From link:

“I simply don’t buy it,” said Dr Petraglia, who specialises in early human evolution in Asia. Instead, he agreed with the other option offered by Professor Pappu – that early, non-modern humans living in southern India developed the tool style without the need for input from outsiders.

Mollwollfumble agrees with Dr Petraglia on this one. From the images it appears that the stone tools are made of quartzite. Now quartzite is extremely easy to shape into stone tools that look like this. Any combination of impacts will do. We already know of three out-of Africa migrations before Homo sapiens. But which in this case?

Which human species was around 385,000 years ago in India? Homo erectus had passed through India much earlier, about a million years ago. Similar stone tools were present in Africa 3.3 million years ago.

It’s interesting but without human fossils to compare, we can’t say much about the people who made these tools and where they came from.

Bubblecar said:

It’s interesting but without human fossils to compare, we can’t say much about the people who made these tools and where they came from.

Southern India. Lots of people passed by going somewhere else, including the Australian aborigine.

Coincidentally, the latest New Scientist has an article about non-humans using stone tools, and how this has developed over time.

Is it possible that these tools were being used by non-humanoid apes, or monkeys?

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

It’s interesting but without human fossils to compare, we can’t say much about the people who made these tools and where they came from.

Southern India. Lots of people passed by going somewhere else, including the Australian aborigine.

Yeah but not 385000 years ago

dv said:

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

It’s interesting but without human fossils to compare, we can’t say much about the people who made these tools and where they came from.

Southern India. Lots of people passed by going somewhere else, including the Australian aborigine.

Yeah but not 385000 years ago

Do we actually know the original Australian settlers came from S. India? I thought that was just one of several possibilities?

dv said:

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

It’s interesting but without human fossils to compare, we can’t say much about the people who made these tools and where they came from.

Southern India. Lots of people passed by going somewhere else, including the Australian aborigine.

Yeah but not 385000 years ago

Advanced is somewhat subjective, perhaps any humanoid type primate could have made them

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

roughbarked said:

Southern India. Lots of people passed by going somewhere else, including the Australian aborigine.

Yeah but not 385000 years ago

Do we actually know the original Australian settlers came from S. India? I thought that was just one of several possibilities?

The thing about Southern India is that it is not really on the way to anywhere…

dv said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

Yeah but not 385000 years ago

Do we actually know the original Australian settlers came from S. India? I thought that was just one of several possibilities?

The thing about Southern India is that it is not really on the way to anywhere…

It’s on the way to Serendip.

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

Do we actually know the original Australian settlers came from S. India? I thought that was just one of several possibilities?

The thing about Southern India is that it is not really on the way to anywhere…

It’s on the way to Serendip.

:)

The Rev Dodgson said:

Coincidentally, the latest New Scientist has an article about non-humans using stone tools, and how this has developed over time.

Is it possible that these tools were being used by non-humanoid apes, or monkeys?

Do we actually know the original Australian settlers came from S. India? I thought that was just one of several possibilities?

With tools like this from quartzite, mollwollfumble thinks it’s a possibility. All you need to do is to bang the rocks together, and both monkeys and otters have been known to do that.

“We’ll be saying a big hello to all intelligent lifeforms everywhere and to everyone else out there, the secret is to bang the rocks together, guys.” ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

As for Australians via Southern India. Yes it’s claimed that it’s one of two possibilities. But I have a Dravidian friend from Southern India, an ancient lineage with black skin, who could pass as an Australian aborigine.