Fragments of iron pyrite, a rock that can be used with flint to make sparks, were found by a 400,000-year-old hearth in eastern Britain. (Jordan Mansfield | Courtesy Pathways to Ancient Britain ...
Set aside your matches or lighter and try to start a fire; chances are you’ll be left cold. But as early as 400,000 years ago ancient hominins might have had the skills to conjure flame, according to ...