{
  "id": 7554913,
  "title": "Oldest known drug use dates to 25,000 yrs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/oldest-known-drug-use-dates-to-25-000-yrs",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-15T12:24:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/stone-age-high-ancient-indonesian-foragers-may-have-sucked-on-mind-altering-nuts-25000-years-ago-study-finds/articleshow/134262030.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A groundbreaking study published in Science Advances reveals that human drug use may date back 25,000 years, challenging previous beliefs about when psychoactive substances were first consumed. Archaeologists unearthed evidence of ancient foragers on Sulawesi, an Indonesian island, who regularly consumed betel nuts, the seeds of the Areca catechu palm. This discovery, made through the examination of two pre-agricultural forager remains found in separate caves, challenges prior knowledge that psychoactive substance use began around 13,000 years ago. The researchers analyzed deep, rounded grooves worn into the teeth of the two individuals, suggesting they had been sucking on whole, unprocessed betel nuts long before the practice evolved into the more familiar betel-chewing tradition. The study's lead author, archaeologist Adam Brumm, suggests the habit may have originated as an attempt at pain relief, with the individuals self-perpetuating their cycle of nut-sucking to treat dental pain caused by this very activity. This finding pushes the timeline of human drug use back by roughly 12,000 years, providing direct evidence of the antiquity of this millennia-old tradition.",
  "summary": null,
  "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."
}