Early proof of humans making fire found in UK

Experts have made an exciting discovery about when our humans ancestors started deliberately making fires.

A disused clay pit in Barnham Suffolk suggests it was happening there more than 400,000 years ago.

Previously the oldest known evidence of this kind of fire-making was 50,000 years ago in northern France, according to researchers.

There are also other archaeological sites that experts claim could represent an even older part of the story humans and fire.

They include places in Spain and in Israel, and in the traces of wood ash discovered among million-year-old animal bones and stone tools in a cave in South Africa.

So, what was found in the UK and why is it important?

Researchers uncovered flint hand axes and two fragments of iron pyrite - which is used to strike flint and create sparks.

Geological studies show that pyrite is rare in the area, which means it's likely that it was brought to the site for fire-making.

Professor Chris Stringer, from the Natural History Museum, says they think the people who made the fire in Suffolk had brought the knowledge with them from Europe.

"There's a gap of maybe 350,000 (years) until the next best evidence, but of course we're not saying there wasn't a use of fire earlier on.

"And of course we're not saying fire was... invented at Barnham.

"We assume that the people who made the fire at Barnham brought the knowledge with them from continental Europe. "There was a land bridge there.

Heated sediments were also discovered on the site.

It took the team four years to prove that the heated clay was not caused by a wildfire, but on purpose.

They conducted geochemical tests which showed repeated fires at the same site.

While the identity of the Suffolk fire-starters is not known, the researchers think they were likely Neanderthals because of fossils found nearby.

The use of fire really impacted how humans evolved.

According to researchers on the project, having fire made it more likely that people could survive in harsh environments as it provided warmth and protected them from predators like wild animals.

Professor Chris Stringer says it also impacted brain development.

He says that as early humans used fire to cook food, they were getting better nutrition, which which meant there was enough energy to allow for the evolution of a bigger brain.

But it's not all about physical differences, fire also impacted community and socialising.

"People are going to be sitting around the fires sharing information, having extra time beyond pure daylight to make things, to teach things, to communicate with each other, to tell stories maybe", says Professor Stringer.