Archeologists excavate in Zhoukouidian fossil site in the suburbs of Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua]

New evidence for use of fire by Peking Man

In mid-July, Chinese archeologists announced that new evidence had been found suggesting that the ancestor of modern man was able to use fire more than 600,000 years ago, after a three-year excavation in Zhoukoudian fossil site in the western suburbs of Beijing.

A fire site, sintering soil, and burned rocks and bones were uncovered at the site, said Gao Xing, research fellow with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. They also found fire sites encircled by rocks and lime resulting from the burning of limestone, Gao added.