Study suggests fire use in caves 1.8 million years ago
6 reported
A new study published in PLOS One suggests early human ancestors were using fire in South Africa's Wonderwerk Cave between 1.07 and 1.79 million years ago. Researchers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an international team identified burned bones deep inside the cave, beyond the reach of natural wildfires. The findings indicate that early humans likely collected fire from natural sources, such as lightning strikes or wildfires, and brought it into the cave. The study introduces a new luminescence technique to detect burned fossil bones. The evidence does not suggest these humans could create fire on demand, but that they transported and maintained it. The research builds on earlier work at the same site that reported fire use dating to about 1 million years ago.
What’s reported
The study was published in PLOS One on June 24, 2026.
Burned bones were found approximately 30 meters inside Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa.
The burned remains were in a layer lacking guano deposits, ruling out spontaneous combustion.
Researchers used a non-destructive luminescence method to identify burned animal bones.
The evidence suggests fire was brought in from natural sources like lightning strikes or wildfires.
The study was led by Dr. Liora Kolska Horwitz of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Key figures
Dr. Liora Kolska Horwitz, co-director of the Wonderwerk Cave project, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Prof Michael Chazan, University of Toronto, co-director of the Wonderwerk Cave project
M. Dolores Marin-Monfort, Candice L. Shaw, Filipe Natalio, Liron Grossman, Peter Andrews, Joaquín Campos, Sara García-Morato, José M. Pereira, Alicia Pons, Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo (co-authors)
Sources: ScienceDaily
