Neanderthals mastered fire — 400,000 years ago

Baked soil, ancient tools and materials that could be used to start fires show that Neanderthals were making fire in the UK 400,000 years ago — the earliest evidence of this skill found so far. Ancient humans are known to have used naturally occurring fires, but evidence of deliberate fire-starting has been hard to come by. A new suite of evidence pushes back the date of fire mastery by 350,000 years. The team behind the finding believes it helps create a more nuanced picture of Neanderthals, who perhaps gathered round fires and told stories in ancient Europe.