Neanderthals used magnesium blocks to start fires
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I also believe that Neanderthals had a larger brain than us, so this article does not surprise me. Thanks for posting it.
Interesting article. The more we practise our skills the more we understand that they were anything but primitive. It takes a lot of attention to detail to become truly proficient.
Most Britains, who have a long ancestry here, and people in northern europe, have 1-4% Neanderthal DNA. Which is quite a lot.
The CDC website entry for Manganese Dioxide may be part of the answer to that mystery...
Nevertheless a fascinating article. The very idea of primitive peoples being this aware about the materials in their environment must give mainstream archaeologists sleepless nights.
No, but what does give Archaeologists nightmares is the understanding that we aren't aware of the uses of the materials in our environment and thus we miss the potential that our ancestors were. So, when we interpret the sites and artefacts, etc., we might be getting it wrong because we just don't know enough.
That's why an entire site isn't excavated; when at all possible we leave as much as possible for future archaeological investigation, potentially with better techniques and more research.
You note that, "The researchers can’t rule out other possible Neandertal uses for manganese dioxide, including body decoration. But based on their experiments, they suggest adding fire-starting to the list."
Hedging their bets a bit there
It's like the old 'ritual significance'….we're sure they were using it for something, but not quite certain just what…..yet.
M
That's why an entire site isn't excavated; when at all possible we leave as much as possible for future archaeological investigation, potentially with better techniques and more research.
You note that, "The researchers can’t rule out other possible Neandertal uses for manganese dioxide, including body decoration. But based on their experiments, they suggest adding fire-starting to the list."
Hedging their bets a bit there
It's like the old 'ritual significance'….we're sure they were using it for something, but not quite certain just what…..yet.
M
I read that the article concerns manganese dioxide. Could not find a single note to suggest that the Neanderthal could refine such a reactive metal as magnesium. Manganese dioxide can be extracted quite easily from the semi-solid electrolyte in old carbon-rod dry cell batteries. Washed, dried and powdered again, it's an effective accelerant for the oxidation of peanut oil soaked into paper towel.
That^ Mind, the Neanderthals likely knew that bit, having a bigger brain and all
And that magnesium oxide is white
They did have similar names, magnesia alba and magnesia negra, until the discovery that they had a different metal element.
Everyone's looking for complicated answers, they were probably just using it to make batteries for their torches.
DB
DB
well I have learned something new from that link, a simple fire lighting method called the Rudiger Roll, I hadn't heard of it before, it's apparently named after the German survival/bushcraft guy called Rudiger Nehberg who describes the method in his book. For anyone interested there's a guy whose put loads of youtube vids about the Rudiger Roll fire lighting method using all sorts of materials whose channel is called boggycreekbeast.
And that magnesium oxide is white
They did have similar names, magnesia alba and magnesia negra, until the discovery that they had a different metal element.
I can remember finding Pyrolusite Dendrites (Manganese oxide) on rocks on the fells where I was a kid, they were fern like patterns of black on the limestone.
I could understand people wanting to pick them up and keep them, just cos they look good.
Picture I found of them on the internet.
I was aware of this fact (and are proud of it
)- but there are no "" purebreds"" left (apart from mysterious sightings of hominids in the territory of the former soviet union), so I wonder why those cro magnon managed to replace them
You should check out the 1974 cartoon series "Valley of the dinosaurs", it's got a technology with a prehistoric twist saves the day vibe.Interrsting, and feasible. But how did they get the spark? Have the archeologists found remains of Iron pyrite or similar?
Manganese oxide can act as a catalyst. In this case, to lower the "energy of activation" to ignite the fuel. Perhaps any sort of a spark from banging 2 rocks together would add enough energy.
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