Ancient Tools Contradict the Timeline of Civilization

When studying the proliferation of humanity across the globe, researchers have been stumped by how the islands of Southeast Asia (ISEA) became well-inhabited so long ago.

It was thought that technological seafaring advancements to make this possible were unlikely during the Paleolithic era. But research now shows that the ancient people of the Philippines and ISEA may have mastered seafaring well before anyone else.

The evidence is stone tools excavated in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste, which indicates that 40,000 years ago, ancient seafarers had technological sophistication that rivals much later civilizations.

Proving seafaring history is tricky because wood and fiber that would have been used to construct Paleolithic seacraft rarely survive in the archaeological record. These stone tools show traces of plant processing to extract fibers used for making ropes, nets, and boatbuilding bindings. When you also discover fishing hooks, gorges, net weights, and the remains of deep-ocean fish (tuna and sharks), it is plain these archeological sites are of a robust seafaring culture.

The remains of large predatory fish indicate advanced seafaring capabilities as well as knowledge of those fish species’ migration routes. The fish and tool remains show a need for strong and well-crafted cordage for ropes and fishing lines.

It seems that ancient seafarers constructed boats from organic materials and held them together with ropes. The rope technology was then adapted for fishing.

Up until now, the prevailing theory is that prehistoric migrations were passive sea drifters on bamboo rafts. These researchers posit that such migrations were made by highly skilled navigators who had the knowledge and technology to travel over deep water to remote locations.

This advanced maritime technology highlights the ingenuity of early ISEA peoples. Their boat-building knowledge probably made the region a center for technological innovations thousands of years ago, laying the foundation for maritime traditions that still thrive there today.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/archaeologists-found-ancient-tools-that-contradict-the-timeline-of-civilization/ar-AA1QBNgO?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6920dbd5e422464a91ca37688bfb70ec&ei=40

New Timeline of Life on Earth

Evidence of ancient life on Earth is tough to find. But some scientists think they’ve found some of the oldest. Previously, it was estimated that the oldest biomolecules known by man were about 2.5 billion years old. However, the oldest biosignatures are actually 3.3 billion years old.

The authors of a new study claim to have deepened our understanding of Earth’s earliest biosphere and, at the same time, will provide new avenues for potentially finding past life on Mars and other planets.

The team studied the world’s oldest rocks. High-resolution chemical analysis broke down organic and inorganic materials from the rocks, producing molecular fragments. An artificial intelligence system was used to recognize the chemical fingerprints left behind by life. The system learned how to do this by analyzing 406 samples of plants, animals, fossils, and meteorites. The AI can distinguish between biological and non-biological material with over 90% accuracy.

The biggest splash was the detection of photosynthesis in 2.5-billion-years-old rocks. It seems that ancient life leaves more than fossils. It also leaves chemical echoes, which the AI can now reliably interpret. Computers have been trained to recognize any molecular trace left by living organisms, even after the biomolecules were gone.

Earth’s earliest life hasn’t left many traces behind, since ancient cells have been swallowed by Earth’s crust. This has pretty much obliterated clues about the origins of life. But the researchers hope ancient rocks can reveal glimpses of that history.

Most organic molecules from the past have been altered by geological processes but are still useful to study. And this process isn’t restricted to Earth-formed rocks, either. It could help guide the search for life on other planets.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-just-upended-the-timeline-of-life-on-earth/ar-AA1RczqG?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6927488fa04e4b7fb9572d1e90909288&ei=71