New Research Reveals Humans Were in the Philippines Hundreds of Thousands of Years Earlier Than Previously Known
Nature.com has released a study revealing very crucial information about the first human inhabitants in the Philippines. At an excavation site in the Kalinga province in Luzon, researchers unearthed a remarkable find: 57 stone tools and over 400 bones of various animals, including Philippine brown deer and the now-extinct
The study described how the bones of the rhino, another extinct animal in this part of the world, exhibited marks that were “presumably made with the intention to smash the bones and gain access to the marrow.” It’s safe to conclude that the early humans behind the slaughter were just hunting for their next meal. Using electron-spin resonance methods, researchers were able to date the carved bones between 631,000 to 777,000 years old, which indicates the presence of human life in Luzon and the South East Asian region earlier than previously thought.
The identity of these toolmakers and hunters remain unknown but researchers have taken an educated guess and pinpoint their origins to Borneo through Palawan, or China through Taiwan.
Before this, it was believed that the Callao Man was the earliest known human in the
“It was surprising to find such an old peopling in the Philippines,” archaeologist Thomas Ingicco told National Geographic. He also tells CNN that “the butchery marks were a very good surprise” as this opens up a new opportunity to link us to our early ancestors.
