Thursday, 13. March 2003
Topic: LOST FOUND - on March 13, 2003 at 10:57:59 AM CET
Human footprints are 350,000 years old
Scientists in Italy have discovered 350,000-year-old tracks that may be the oldest known footprints made by Stone Age man.
The prints were made by three early, upright-walking humans as they descended the treacherous side of a volcano - perhaps to escape an eruption, researchers reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
Other scientists said that while the prints appear well-preserved, they add little to knowledge about human evolution, since footprints of far older human ancestors have been found. But they said the tracks are still a sobering testament to long-ago journeys across a harsh terrain.
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