"WITHOUT THE PAST, THERE IS NO FUTURE."

Professor Parzinger, scientists try to influence the future with their research. As a prehistorian, you've researched the history of humans before recorded events. Does this period start with the first evidence of human cognition? Indeed. Thinking humans first appeared 2.7 million years ago, as Homo habilis in East Africa, and these early ancestors of humans made stone tools. This coincided with a transition from a vegetarian species to hominid, or those consuming meat, presumably carrion found in nature. But as they couldn't cut the meat with their jaws, unlike animal predators, they needed tools for this—and developed the first tools.