The earliest fire starters.

• Position: Archaeology - Brief article

Scientists agree that learning to use fire--which offered protection from the cold and heat for cooking--was a huge leap forward for the human species. But the question of when humans started to use it is still a subject of intense debate. Some believe that the controlled use of fire occurred more than a million years ago, when humans made their way to Europe from Africa. But a new study, based on excavation reports from 141 sites in Europe, argues that humans didn't master fire until much later, about 400,000 years ago. What...