The taming of fire is credited with sparking humanity's evolutionary journey towards our modern levels of intelligence. Fire gave early humans access to a broader range of safe foods, fueling the development of larger brains and paving the way for the birth of Homo sapiens, so the cooking hypothesis goes .

A new discovery of baked sediments, artifacts, and pieces of firelighting pyrite in a UK claypit suggests that humans already had the capacity to create fire more than 400,000 years ago.

"This extraordinary discovery pushes this turning point back by some 350,000 years," says British Museum archaeologist Rob Davis.

"The implications are enormous. The ability to create and control fire is one of the most critical turning points in human history, with practical and social benefi

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