Nine cut marks on a fossilized shin bone suggest that ancient human relatives butchered and possibly ate one another 1.45 million years ago, according to a new study.
Hominins could have been cannibals: Researchers have found evidence of this on a 1.45-million-year-old shin. Cut marks on the remains of a relative of Homo sapiens provide clues: The damage was caused by stone tools. It is the oldest example of this behavior, which is known with high certainty and specificity, according to the study. But the question of why is controversial: It's hard to say whether this was food intake or a more complex cultural activity, such as for ritual purposes.