Researchers have presented evidence that our ancestors began to damage the environment almost 100 thousand years ago. The difference between them and us was only in the scale and lack of technical means to influence the environment. That is why cave people resorted to burning forests.
The results of this study were published in the scientific journal Science Advances. Scientists came to these conclusions by analyzing excavations at Lake Nyasa in East Africa.
Almost 92 thousand years ago, the climate created favorable conditions for the growth of plants and giant trees. However, only pollen from small plants, which usually grew after severe fires, was found at the excavation site.
The hypothesis that the fires could have started as a result of thunderstorms and lightning strikes was rejected. Researchers are confident that the fires were caused by human activity, which is confirmed by the presence of stone tools at the excavation site.
Experts suggest that huge forest areas were burned in order to improve living conditions. Based on this, experts came to the conclusion that the control and modification of nature began long before our era, among primitive people.
With the development of technology, human impact on the environment has become more active and diverse.
