00:00Ooh, so check this out.
00:03Researchers just found some super old footprints from a family of extinct humans, like we're
00:08talking 300,000 years ago.
00:11The prints belonged to a group of Homo heidelbergensis – ooh, that's a tough one, but I nailed
00:16it!
00:17So those dudes were pretty advanced for their time – they were building homes and hunting
00:21big animals.
00:22But unfortunately, they couldn't handle climate change and disappeared about 28,000
00:28years ago.
00:29No, they weren't sissies, trust me, the weather was really tough back then, and they
00:33couldn't just go grab a down jacket like you do.
00:36So the University of Tübbingen crew made the discovery in Germany, where they found
00:41the perfectly preserved prints in a forest by a lake.
00:44Apparently, elephants, rhinos, and other critters used to come relax by the lake, and so did
00:49this Heidelberg family.
00:51The scientists believe they were probably just a family outing rather than a group of
00:55adult hunters, since there were little kid footprints too.
00:59And depending on the season, they could munch on plants, fruits, leaves, shoots, and mushrooms
01:05around the lake.
01:06Experts even found tracks from an extinct elephant species that used to weigh up to
01:1113 tons.
01:12Now, can you imagine seeing one of those in person?
01:14Just so you know, 13 tons is about 45 times as heavy as a pig.
01:19Oink.
01:20They were digging around in Schöningen when they stumbled upon some elephant tracks that
01:25were 21 inches long.
01:26That's like the length of a really big ruler.
01:29They even found wood fragments in the ruts that the elephants had left behind.
01:33But wait, there's more!
01:35They also found a rhino print from the Pleistocene era, which is pretty wild.
01:39It's the first time they've found a footprint from this particular species in Europe.
01:44Who knew rhinos had such big feet?
01:47Except those whom the rhino stepped on.
01:49Meanwhile, over in New Mexico, some British and American archaeologists found some ancient
01:55human footprints that date back 23,000 years.
01:59They used radiocarbon dating to figure out when these footprints were made, and it turns
02:03out they were stomped into the mud during the last glacial maximum, as when ice sheets
02:08covered much of North America and sea levels were lower than they are now.
02:12Now, we've always thought that humans first made their way to North America between 13,000
02:19and 16,000 years ago.
02:21But these footprints suggest that our ancestors were wandering around way earlier than that.
02:26Some people even think that humans might've been hanging out in North America as far back
02:30as 33,000 years ago.
02:33Although not everyone is convinced.
02:38If there were footprints, there must've also been some shoes too, am I right?
02:43Well, researchers may not have found signature Gucci loafers even though they've been around
02:48since 1953.
02:50But they did find a cave in Armenia full of ancient artifacts from the Copper Age.
02:55And guess what?
02:56Those artifacts included a seriously well-preserved shoe that's now the oldest footwear ever
03:02found.
03:03That footwear was made from a single piece of cowhide leather, which is pretty rare today
03:07despite all the fancy-schmancy technological upgrades we've got today.
03:12Talk about premium quality!
03:14Currently, the coolest modern-day designer shoes are trying to copy this hole-cut technique.
03:19The shoe was also rubbed with some kind of plant or vegetable oil for extra durability.
03:25And it even had shoelaces that criss-crossed through a series of holes, just like our beloved
03:30sneakers today.
03:31The shoe was about the size of a woman's US 7, so we're guessing it was tailor-made
03:37for some fancy-pants wealthy person.
03:39Can you imagine rocking these feet-whips back in the day?
03:43They were possibly the talk of the town.
03:46Since we're talking about shoes, have you ever had that gross feeling when you step
03:50in something sticky?
03:51Especially if you're wearing a brand-new pair of white sneakers?
03:54No, not what you're thinking.
03:56I'm talking about chewing gum.
03:58It's a total buzzkill to have it stuck to your shoe.
04:02A super-cool British archaeology student named Sarah Pickett found a 5,000-year-old piece
04:08of Neolithic chewing gum made from birchbark tar while on a dig in Finland.
04:13It even had tooth marks in it.
04:15Who knew our ancestors were into chewing gum too?
04:18Apparently, birchbark tar has antiseptic properties, so it's believed that Neolithic peeps chewed
04:24it to help treat mouth and gum infections.
04:27So it looks like people have been spitting out gum since the beginning of time.
04:32What a tradition!
04:34Neolithic designers had way more than just shoes to offer to prehistoric fashionistas.
04:38You're not going to find such a statement piece in the mass market.
04:43And I'm not sure about high-end boutiques either.
04:45Yep, it's supposedly the oldest purse ever found.
04:49And yep, those are dog teeth used as decorations for a handbag.
04:53According to one of the archaeologists, these teeth were all the rage back in 2500 BCE.
04:59People were putting them on everything, from clothes to jewelry.
05:03This particular handbag was something special.
05:06It had over a dozen sets of teeth and was super fancy, which means whoever owned it
05:11was perhaps a VIP.
05:13Unfortunately, the purse itself didn't survive the test of time.
05:17All that's left are these teeth, pointing in the same direction and looking like a modern-day
05:22handbag flap.
05:23It must've been truly chic back in the day, but it's a good thing we've moved on to more
05:28humane materials for our accessories.
05:31Did you hear about the dino-sized discovery on Yorkshire's coast?
05:35Yep, sometimes scientists discover not human footprints, but dino-footprints.
05:40This time, they found a record-breaking dinosaur print that could've been left by a predator
05:45taking a break 166 million years ago.
05:49Can you imagine a T-Rex lounging on the beach with a smoothie in hand?
05:54This 3-foot-long fossil, spotted in Burniston Bay near Scarborough, is the largest ever discovered
05:59in the region.
06:00The team of researchers who studied the track concluded that it was made by a giant carnivore
06:05like a Megalosaurus.
06:07That's one big and hungry dino.
06:09The footprint is the largest made by a theropod, which is a group of bipedal dinosaurs that
06:14includes the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex.
06:17So we're talking about some seriously big and scary creatures here.
06:21A paleontologist from the University of Manchester said the discovery had shed new light on the
06:26behavior of these carnivorous giants.
06:29Apparently, features of the footprint suggest that this large predator was squatting down
06:34before standing up.
06:35Maybe it was doing some yoga, or taking a bathroom break, who knows?
06:41Another archaeologist, Marie Woods, stumbled across the print while collecting shellfish
06:46on the shore.
06:47She said she couldn't believe what she was looking at.
06:49I mean, who would expect to find a giant dinosaur print while picking up some clams?
06:55It's lucky that Ms. Woods and Rob Taylor, a local fossil collector, rescued the fragile
07:00print from the shoreline.
07:02Experts warned that it was at risk of being lost to erosion or landslides.
07:07Now plans are in motion for the footprint to go on public display at the Rotunda Museum
07:12in Scarborough.
07:14But there's some more dino-mite news.
07:17Several drought conditions in Texas have revealed ancient dinosaur footprints that are over
07:22100 million years old.
07:24Multiple dinosaur tracks belong to the dinos were recently discovered at Dinosaur Valley
07:29State Park in northwest Texas.
07:31The droughts have caused a river running through central Texas to dry up almost entirely, which
07:37is how these prehistoric prints were finally uncovered.
07:40This guy was a real beast, measuring 15 feet and weighing in at 7 tons.
07:46It used to roam the area over 113 million years ago, according to the state park.
07:52About 60 prints from this dino have been revealed due to the drought, with an estimated
07:56140 tracks from the dinosaur in total.
07:59But that's not all.
08:01Prints from Sauroposeidon were also discovered.
08:04This creature was a massive 66 feet long and weighed about 48 tons when fully matured.
08:10Experts believe that the Acrocanthosaurus preyed on Sauroposeidon, which explains why
08:15their prints were found together.
08:17There's a weird thing though.
08:18Sauroposeidon was bigger than Acrocanthosaurus.
08:22Can any professors please explain to me why the smaller dude would munch on the bigger
08:26one?
08:27That's it for today!
08:29So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
08:34friends!
08:35Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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