Peking Man Older Than Thought
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 6:34 pm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7937351.stm
IIRC this cave is the earliest recorded proof of fire making, although earlier humans were known to use fire - it was unknown if they could actually make it.This method is based on the radioactive decay of unstable forms, or isotopes, of the elements aluminium and beryllium in quartz grains. This enabled them to get a more precise age for the fossils.
The results show the Peking Man fossils came from ground layers that were 680,000-780,000 years old, making them about 200,000 years older than had previously been believed.
Comparisons with other sites show that Homo erectus survived successive warm and cold periods in northern Asia.