VOA科学技术2023 究竟是谁制造了最古老的石器?（在线收听）

Scientists have discovered some of the oldest stone tools ever found at a research site in Kenya.

科学家在肯尼亚的一处研究地点发现了一些迄今为止发现的最古老的石器。

But the find created a mystery about which group of early humans made and used the tools.

但这一发现引发了一个谜团，即究竟是哪一群早期人类制造和使用了这些工具。

A study recently published in Science suggests early humans used the tools to cut up animals for food about 3 million years ago.

最近发表在《科学》杂志上的一项研究表明，大约300万年前，早期人类使用这些工具切割动物食用。

In the past, scientists thought our direct ancestors were the ones making and using tools.

在过去，科学家认为我们的直系祖先是制造和使用工具的人。

But two teeth from an extinct human-like creature were found at the site.

但在该研究地点发现了一种已灭绝的类人生物的两颗牙齿。

This led researchers to believe that other kinds of hominins might have picked up tools too.

这使得研究人员认为，其他种类的古人类可能也学会了制造和使用工具。

The term hominin is still developing and is used to describe species that are considered human or closely linked to humans.

hominin（人类，原始人类）一词还在演变中，该词被用来描述被认为是人类或与人类有密切联系的物种。

The team said the newly found tools are probably the oldest example of what is known as the Oldowan toolkit.

该团队表示，新发现的工具可能是被称为“奥多瓦工具包”的最古老的例子。

This was a set of tools that spread across Africa and beyond during the Stone Age.

这是一套在石器时代传播到非洲及其他地方的工具。

Rick Potts is the director of the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program.

里克·波茨是史密森学会人类起源项目的负责人。

He told the Associated Press that he thinks the find adds to existing evidence that our direct ancestors may not have been the only users of Stone Age technology.

他告诉美联社，他认为这一发现增加了现有证据，证明我们的直系祖先可能并不是石器时代技术的唯一使用者。

"Those teeth open up an amazing whodunit – a real question of, well, who were these earliest toolmakers?" Potts said.

波茨说：“这些牙齿打开了一部令人惊叹的侦探小说——一个真正的问题是，这些最早的工具制造者是谁？”

The researchers said the tools date back to about 2.9 million years ago, when early humans used them to cut up hippopotamuses and other big animals for food.

研究人员表示，这些工具可以追溯到大约290万年前，当时早期人类使用它们来切割河马和其他大型动物作为食物。

The study suggests these kinds of tools were widely used earlier than had been believed.

研究表明，这类工具被广泛使用的时间比人们之前认为的要早。

Three kinds of tools were found.

科学家发现了三种工具。

These included some with flat sides believed to have been used to crush plants, bone and meat.

其中包括一些被认为是用来碾碎植物、骨头和肉的扁边的工具。

Others had sharp edges for cutting meat.

其他工具则有锋利的边用来切肉。

Thomas Plummer is with Queens College of the City University of New York and was the lead writer of the study.

托马斯·普卢默供职于纽约市立大学-女王学院，他是这项研究的主要作者。

He told the AP that, with the tools found, early humans could cut and crush a wide range of materials.

他告诉美联社，利用这些被发现的工具，早期人类可以切割和粉碎各种各样的材料。

In addition, he said tools from the Kenyan site also suggested they had assisted early humans with eating.

此外，他说，在肯尼亚遗址发现的工具还表明，它们曾帮助早期人类进食。

The site, known as Nyayanga, is in a hilly area on the shores of Lake Victoria.

该遗址名为Nyayanga，位于维多利亚湖岸边的丘陵地带。

Since starting work there in 2015, researchers have also found many objects and animal bones.

自2015年开始在那里工作以来，研究人员还发现了许多物体和动物骨骼。

Plummer said cut marks on several hippo bones show they were cut up for their meat.

普卢默说，一些河马骨头上的切痕表明它们的肉是被切割下来的。

The early humans also likely used the tools to break open antelope bones to get out marrow and tissue inside the bones, the study said.

研究称，早期人类还可能使用这些工具打开羚羊的骨头，以取出骨头内的骨髓和组织。

Plummer added that the stone tools permitted the early humans to get and process a lot of necessities from the environment.

普卢默补充说，石器使早期人类能够从环境中获得并处理许多必需品。

"If you can butcher a hippo, you can butcher pretty much anything," he said.

他说：“如果你能宰杀一头河马，你就能宰杀几乎任何东西”。

I'm Bryan Lynn.

布莱恩·林恩为您播报。