This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Hashtags have become a standard in ...

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Discover the oldest abstract drawing, a 73,000-year-old ochre design found in Blombos Cave that reflects ancient human cognition. It's a flake split from a larger piece of silcrete — a rock made from ...

The abalone shell before excavation from the 100,000 year old, Middle Stone Age-levels at the Blombos Cave in South Africa. Photo by Science/AAAS. Researchers have unearthed two abalone shells from a ...

Abalone shell-you can see some of the ochre rich deposit. Image: Science/AAAS Karen van Niekerk removes the abalone containing the ochre grinder and ochre from the 100,000 year-old layers at Blombos ...

WASHINGTON - Researchers in South Africa have discovered what may have been the world's earliest artist's studio. A 100,000-year-old workshop used to mix and store the reddish pigment ochre has been ...

It looks a bit like a hashtag, but it’s 73,000 years old. And scientists say this tiny sketch found in a South African cave is the oldest known drawing. It’s not the earliest deliberate design; some ...

BERGEN, NORWAY—An international team of researchers led by Christopher Henshilwood of the University of Bergen have concluded that the red marks on a small stone fragment recovered from South Africa’s ...