快猫短视频

Photographer Francesco d鈥橢rrico

Agency Doyon

An ancient cousin to humans may have made the engravings in this bone 100,000 years ago. It was found in Lingjing in central China, where it is thought some Denisovans lived. This and a second bone discovered in the area were engraved using a sharp point, which couldn鈥檛 have happened while processing meat.

We know little about the Denisovans, but these abstract engravings hint that they may have been capable of symbolic thought, which was once regarded as something only modern humans could do.