Science & technology | One foot in the grave

Humans were performing amputations earlier than thought

A new find in Borneo puts the advent of surgery back by almost 24,000 years

Supplied by researcher. : https://press.springernature.com/surgical-amputation-of-a-limb-31-000-years-ago-in-borneo/23349196

Sep 7th 2022

The eastern side of the island of Borneo—or Kalimantan, as it is known by the locals—is otherworldly. The island, which is bisected by the equator, is blanketed by tropical rainforest. The rock underfoot is limestone, the remains of prehistoric coral reefs heaved up from the ocean floor. Over millions of years, rivulets have carved into the stone, creating networks of caves, treacherous sinkholes, and imposing towers of rock called “karsts”.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “One foot in the grave”