A Spearhead that predates Homo Sapiens by 85,000 years

by veya_victaous Fri Nov 15, 2013 1:06 am

http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/stoneage-steve-jobs-who-invented-stone-throwing-spears-was-not-even-a-human-say-scientists/story-fnjwl2dr-1226760914934

A recent analysis of the world's oldest known technology - stone-tipped throwing spears - shows they actually predate the earliest known humans by some 85,000 years.
The implications are mind-blowing, scientists say.
Was the creator of this deadly "iStone" an equivalent of the Apple genius who was several steps back on the evolutionary chain that led us down from the trees?
Or have modern humans - Homo sapiens - actually been around much longer than originally thought?
The study, published in online science journal PlosOne, examines a set of newly discovered spearheads from Ethiopia. They appear to date from 280,000 years ago.

Well as it seem to have purpose it is nothing like Jobs ever made!!!! Razz

:<:i}: :<:i}: :<:i}: :<:i}: :<:i}: :<:i}:

by veya_victaous Fri Nov 15, 2013 1:08 am

Pretty sure one of our ancestor species made it, like most other living thing we quite under rate their intellect

by Lurker Fri Nov 15, 2013 2:18 am

I don't see how you can carbon date a stone spear head. Wouldn't the rock be millions of years old? Humans didn't make the rock, they only shaped it. Inquiring minds want to know.

by veya_victaous Fri Nov 15, 2013 2:50 am

you can because it shows when the smooth surface was made.

But....I doubt it was carbon dating (only really good for Organics)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiometric_dating

I'd say they were using Uranium-Thorium Dating
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium-thorium_dating

by Ben Reilly Fri Nov 15, 2013 3:13 am

At any rate -- anybody else bothered by the fact that the writer seems hell-bent on invoking Steve Jobs? The story's interesting enough on its own!

Not really warranted but I just want to use it: :<:i}: :<:i}: :<:i}: