A recent study published in PLOS has uncovered evidence that early hominids used fire at Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa 1.8 million years ago, which is 700,000 years earlier than previously recorded. Researchers from the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid analyzed 161 fossils using a new non-destructive luminescence technique, revealing signs of burning on bones from small mammals found in owl pellets. The depth of the fossils, located 30 meters below the surface, suggests that the burning was not accidental but rather a deliberate act by early humans, likely Homo erectus. This study indicates that fire was likely transported into the cave rather than created there, suggesting a significant advancement in human behavior and technology. While the exact moment when humans learned to control fire remains debated, this discovery provides critical insights into the evolution of early human societies and their interaction with fire.