2.75-Million-Year-Old Stone Tools May Mark a Turning Point in Human Evolution

Early Hominins Perfected a Stone Tool That Survived 300,000 Years of Climate Chaos

Learn how early hominins crafted the same sharp-edged Oldowan tools through 300,000 years of climate change, revealing one of the longest-lasting technologies in human history.

2.75-Million-Year-Old Stone Tools Could Rewrite Early Human History

Stone tools found in the Turkana Basin, Kenya. Credit: David R. Braun / CC BY 4.0 A newly published study reveals that early humans in Kenya’s Turkana Basin were crafting stone tools as far back as 2.75 million years ago, challenging long-held assumptions about the origins of technology in human history. The tools, uncovered at the Namorototukunan site, represent one of the oldest and longest-lasting examples of Oldowan technology ever found. Th…

Some of the First Humans Used Tools Continuously

A newly uncovered trove of ancient stone tools in northwest Kenya suggests early humans didn't use them sporadically but routinely over hundreds of thousands of years, at the very emergence of humanity. Archaeologists at the Namorotukunan site in the Turkana Basin uncovered 1,300 stone flakes, hammerstones, and cores that...

2.7-million-year-old tools reveal humanity’s first great innovation

Researchers uncovered a 2.75–2.44 million-year-old site in Kenya showing that early humans maintained stone tool traditions for nearly 300,000 years despite extreme climate swings. The tools, remarkably consistent across generations, helped our ancestors adapt and survive. The discovery reshapes our understanding of how early technology anchored human evolution.

Stone tool discovery suggests very first humans were inventors

The find shows that the technology was passed down through thousands of generations.

2.75-million-year-old stone tools may mark a turning point in human evolution

Imagine early humans meticulously crafting stone tools for nearly 300,000 years, all while contending with recurring wildfires, droughts, and dramatic environmental shifts. A study published in Nature Communications brought to light remarkable evidence of enduring technological tradition from Kenya's Turkana Basin.