Deep in a cave on the edge of the Kalahari Desert (South Africa) researchers have found what could possibly be the earliest record of fire found so far. The cave is known as the Wonderwerk and the research team has been headed up by the University of Toronto and the Hebrew University. Small fragments of burned bone and plants have been discovered, in a layer of sediment that has been dated at approximately one million years old.
     The team is very excited by the discovery and anthropologist Michael Chazan, the co-director of the project, is quoted as saying "The analysis pushes the timing for the human use of fire back by 300,000 tears, suggesting that human ancestors as early as Homo erectus may have begun using fire as part of their way of life".
     The research was due to be published on 2 April 2012 in the 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'.

Edited from EurekAlert! (2 April 2012)