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According to a SciNews report, modern humans may have hunted with bows and arrows in the early Upper Paleolithic, between 40,000 and 35,000 years ago. It had been previously thought that people living in Europe at this time hunted with thrusting spears at close range, only advancing to spear-throwers some 20,000 years ago, and then to bows and arrows about 12,000 years ago, based upon artifacts recovered from Paleolithic sites. Researchers led by Keiko Kitagawa of the University of Tübingen experimented with attaching replica stone, antler, and bone points to shafts and launching them as arrows shot from a bow, spears, and darts. The scientists then compared the wear patterns on the experimental projectile points with the wear found on prehistoric points. The results of these tests suggest that modern humans may have been using different weapons simultaneously, as they adapted to different environments and types of prey. "Our study in part demonstrates the complex nature of reconstruction projectile technology, which is often created with perishable materials," the researchers explained. Read the original scholarly article about this research in iScience. To read about the development of hunting weaponry, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World: Hunting Equipment."

1 posted on 01/06/2026 6:49:44 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: SunkenCiv

They did survive the mammoth hunts to have progeny.


3 posted on 01/06/2026 6:55:38 PM PST by Jonty30 (Escasooners are faster than escalators,)
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To: SunkenCiv

Several years ago, a 100-year-old Italian man was seen jogging around St. Peter’s Square in Rome. When asked the secret of his long life and good health, he replied, “beer.”


7 posted on 01/06/2026 7:49:55 PM PST by Fiji Hill
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To: SunkenCiv

Hunter gatherer lifestyle is what I try to live every day. It involves 2 actions. #1 I walk 5000+ steps every day. #2 I avoid eating grains (wheat, rice) which hunter gatherers did not eat. I will be 86 in couple of months and have no health issues.


8 posted on 01/06/2026 7:52:05 PM PST by Bobbyvotes (Work is worship! .... Bhagavad Geeta)
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To: SunkenCiv

The Yamnaya didn’t make it to the Med.


10 posted on 01/07/2026 1:34:52 AM PST by Mr. Blond
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To: SunkenCiv
The researchers suggest that these hardy hunter-gatherer genes may date back to the last lce Age

Every single gene in every single cell of every single person "dates back to the last Ice Age".

Does the author think some genes were brought to earth by aliens 8,000 years ago and thus would not "date back to the last Ice Age"?

14 posted on 01/07/2026 6:13:11 AM PST by nitzy (I don’t trust good looking country singers or fat doctors.)
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