LOS ANGELES — Flame-bearing Prometheus may have visited humans earlier than we thought. An analysis of charred bones and plant ash in sediment from a South African cave suggests that Homo erectus was wielding fire a million years ago — and perhaps even cooking with it, according to the study released Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The findings present the earliest clear evidence of such use of fire, experts said.

The ability to control fire marks an evolutionary turning point: It would have kept our ancient relatives warm in unforgiving climes and allowed them to cook their food, releasing trapped nutrients and getting more caloric bang for every bite. The ability to cook food would have allowed early humans to spend less time looking for food and given them more expendable energy.

But it’s unclear who lighted the first man-made flame. Convincing evidence for the habitual use of fire goes back nearly 400,000 years, coinciding with both archaic Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Some scientists believed that fire must have been in use much further back in time.

 

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