The activities of the ancient people was the cause of the extinction of the large animals of Australia
Scientists said that the ancient people were in Australia for 10 thousand years earlier than was thought before, and caused the extinction of some species of large animals..
The researchers ‘ findings were published in the journal Nature. The Australian continent was colonized about 50 thousand years ago people arrived in boats from Southeast Asia, through Papua New Guinea. It was believed that the early aborigines prefer to live in coastal areas and avoid deserted area for about 10 thousand years. However, the results of the excavations of the ancient settlement, called Warratyi Rock Shelter and dated to the Pleistocene, showed that people lived in these regions for 49 thousand years ago. In the study, scientists were able to learn some details about the activities of aboriginal people.
According to scientists, some of them created technological devices that were more typical of later cultures. This is evidenced by the discovered bone tools, tools with handles, as well as artifacts with traces of applied red ochre and other pigments.
Scientists believe that the hunting activities of aboriginal people who have mastered the arid region of Australia, led to the extinction of representatives of the large fauna of Australia, as the diprotodon and the giant flightless bird Genyornis newtoni. This point was found near the tools bones of animals. Previously, archaeologists have discovered a previously unknown species of ancient human.
Found, the species called Homo naledi – the word “star” in the local language Sesotho. The brain of Homo naledi was the size of a large orange, they had a slim body, the shoulders similar to the shoulders of modern apes, and feet that resemble the structure of the foot of modern man. The rise of Homo naledi was about 150 centimeters and a weight of approximately 45 kgs.
