Coverage dated December 9, 2025 to December 10, 2025

Study finds humans were making fire 400,000 years ago, far earlier than once thought

Headline from KGW Portland

Archaeologists in Britain say they have found the earliest known evidence of deliberate fire-making, dating to around 400,000 years ago.

KGW Portland's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.

Reports & sources

14 articles, oldest first.

  1. KGW Portland

    Study finds humans were making fire 400,000 years ago, far earlier than once thought (opens KGW Portland)

    Published

    KGW Portland's feed description

    Archaeologists in Britain say they have found the earliest known evidence of deliberate fire-making, dating to around 400,000 years ago.

  2. Anchorage Daily News

    Scientists discover oldest evidence of human-made fire in 400,000-year-old hearth (opens Anchorage Daily News)

    Published

    Anchorage Daily News's feed description

    The nebulous question of how far back human ancestors conjured fire is deeply intertwined with some of the biggest outstanding mysteries about human evolution.

  3. Al Jazeera

    Oldest evidence of deliberate fire use found in England (opens Al Jazeera)

    Published

    Al Jazeera's feed description

    Experts suggest humans made fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought, scientists say.

  4. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

    In a 400,000-year-old hearth, hints of humans taming fire earlier than thought (opens NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth)

    Published

    NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth's feed description

    Researchers say they found 400,000-year-old evidence of a hearth and tools at what used to be pond site where Neanderthals lived or camped in England.

  5. Science Alert

    Archaeologists Discover Earliest Evidence of Humans Using Tools to Make Fire (opens Science Alert)

    Published

    Science Alert's feed description

    The taming of fire is credited with sparking humanity's evolutionary journey towards our modern levels of intelligence.

  6. CNN

    Archaeologists find earliest known fire made by humans (opens CNN)

    Published

    CNN's feed description

    Archaeologists say they have found the oldest known instance of fire setting, a key moment in human evolution.

  7. Scientific American

    Ancient Humans Were Making Fire 350,000 Years Earlier Than Scientists Realized (opens Scientific American)

    Published

    Scientific American's feed description

    Making fire on demand was a milestone in the lives of our early ancestors. But the question of when that skill first arose has been difficult for scientists to pin down

  8. Wyoming Public Media

    Fire-making materials at 400,000-year-old site are the oldest evidence of humans making fire (opens Wyoming Public Media)

    Published

    Wyoming Public Media's feed description

    Archaeologists in Britain say they've found the earliest evidence of humans making fires anywhere in the world. The discovery moves our understanding of when humans started making fire back by 350,000 years.

  9. WSVN Miami

    Study finds humans were making fire 400,000 years ago, far earlier than once thought - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports (opens WSVN Miami)

    Published

    WSVN Miami's feed description

    LONDON (AP) — Scientists in Britain say ancient humans may have learned to make fire far earlier than previously believed, after uncovering evidence that deliberate

Identical headlines usually mean shared wire copy. They are counted as separate articles but are not independent confirmation.

Study finds humans were making fire 400,000 years ago, far earlier than once thought | Since Then