{
  "id": 19719048,
  "title": "Traces of 125,000-Year-Old Glue Show How Early Humans May Have Assembled Hunting Weapons in Ancient Saudi Arabia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/traces-of-125-000-year-old-glue-show-how-early-humans-may-have",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-12T22:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discover Magazine",
    "slug": "discover-magazine",
    "url": "https://www.discovermagazine.com/traces-of-125-000-year-old-glue-show-how-early-humans-may-have-assembled-hunting-weapons-in-ancient-saudi-arabia-49940"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Microscopic traces of resin, plant fiber, and possible poison have revealed how early humans may have assembled hunting weapons in ancient Saudi Arabia. An international team of researchers, led by Griffith University in Australia and collaborating institutions in Saudi Arabia, discovered the points and over 5,000 other stone tools at the 'Uruq Aljelibah site. The findings, published in Science, challenge the notion of this region as a mere route, suggesting that early members of our species stayed long enough to build weapons and establish a home beside the water. Over 100,000 years ago, this area was a freshwater lake, teeming with wildlife and supporting a robust ecosystem. Hippos, camels, buffalo, oryx, gazelles, and ostriches all left bones behind at the lakeshore, where stone tools were also found in clusters. The researchers suggest that these sites were where people hunted and butchered their game. Some of the points exhibited chipped tips, indicative of damage sustained during hunting large animals, and under a microscope, these tips held remnants of animal tissue, while the bases contained resin and plant fiber. Chemical analysis of the points found traces linked to Acokanthera schimperi, a tree historically used to make arrow poison, as well as other toxic plant compounds. This indicates that some of the weapons may have carried poison. The lake's presence is part of a pattern, as the region has periodically turned wet and green over the last eight million years, providing the necessary resources for human settlement and the development of complex ways of life.",
  "summary": "Learn how microscopic traces of resin, plant fiber, and possible poison are revealing how people hunted beside a lake in what is now a desert.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Live Science",
        "title": "125,000-year-old poisoned stone points discovered on shore of ancient lake in Saudi Arabia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/125-000-year-old-poisoned-stone-points-discovered-on-shore-of-ancient",
        "published": "2026-11-12T19:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Phys.org",
        "title": "Chemical traces hint at poisoned hunting weapons in Arabia 125,000 years ago",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/chemical-traces-hint-at-poisoned-hunting-weapons-in-arabia-125-000",
        "published": "2026-11-12T19:00:49.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}