{
  "id": 5877809,
  "title": "80,000-year-old “arrowheads” rewrite human history",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/80-000-year-old-arrowheads-rewrite-human-history",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-06T00:46:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ScienceDaily",
    "slug": "sciencedaily",
    "url": "https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260903064233.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Archaeologists have discovered tiny, unretouched, triangular \"arrowheads\" at the Obi-Rakhmat rock shelter in Uzbekistan, dating back approximately 80,000 years. These micro-lithic points are comparable in size to small arrowheads produced by Homo sapiens around 25,000 years later in the Rhone Valley. The findings suggest a possible Central Asian origin for the Initial Upper Paleolithic and challenge previous theories regarding the origins of Homo sapiens' first settlement in Europe. The tiny points, weighing only a few grams and less than 2 cm in width, were likely thrown rather than thrown from a heavy shaft, and their characteristics indicate they were used in different weapons than the more robust spearheads or javelin heads found in the same assemblage.",
  "summary": "Archaeologists have identified tiny 80,000-year-old projectile points in Uzbekistan that may have been used like arrowheads. Their size, design, and impact damage closely resemble weapons found much later at a Homo sapiens site in France. The discovery suggests sophisticated projectile technology may have appeared in Central Asia long before modern humans became firmly established in Europe,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}