Human ancestors threw stone-tipped spears at prey
African finds indicate people weren’t first to hurl weapons from a distance

FLIGHT TIP Damage on the edge of a stone point dating to between 279,000 and 260,000 years ago at Ethiopia’s Gademotta site indicates that the point was part of a spear thrown at animals. The red area is a temporary labeling stain.
Y. Sahle/PLOS ONE 2013