Tools were initially developed by hominids through observation and trial and error.[11] Around 2 Mya (million years ago), they learned to make the first stone tools by hammering flakes off a pebble, forming a sharp hand axe.[12] This practice was refined 75 kya (thousand years ago) into pressure flaking, enabling much finer work.[13]
The discovery of fire was described by Charles Darwin as "possibly the greatest ever made by man".[14] Archaeological, dietary, and social evidence point to "continuous [human] fire-use" at least 1.5 Mya.[15] Fire, fueled with wood and charcoal, allowed early humans to cook their food to increase its digestibility, improving its nutrient value and broadening the number of foods that could be eaten.[16] The cooking hypothesis proposes that the ability to cook promoted an increase in hominid brain size, though some researchers find the evidence inconclusive.[17] Archaeological evidence of hearths was dated to 790 kya; researchers believe this is likely to have intensified human socialization and may have contributed to the emergence of language.[18][19]
Other technological advances made during the Paleolithic era include clothing and shelter.[20] No consensus exists on the approximate time of adoption of either technology, but archaeologists have found archaeological evidence of clothing 90-120 kya[21] and shelter 450 kya.[20] As the Paleolithic era progressed, dwellings became more sophisticated and more elaborate; as early as 380 kya, humans were constructing temporary wood huts.[22][23] Clothing, adapted from the fur and hides of hunted animals, helped humanity expand into colder regions; humans began to migrate out of Africa around 200 kya, initially moving to
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