00:00Scientists have discovered the world's oldest known poison weapons from a South African rock
00:04shelter. Traces of two plant poisons have been found on 60,000 year old arrowheads crafted by
00:09hunter-gatherers during the Stone Age. Scientists sampled residue coating the arrowheads and
00:14identified two toxins that likely came from the milky sap of a type of tumbleweed known locally
00:19as gifbol, which translates to poison bulb. Anthropologists have reported this plant being
00:24the main hunting poison in southern Africa for centuries. By slowly poisoning prey, it cuts
00:29hunting time. But because the poison's effects aren't immediate, this discovery suggests that
00:34ancient hunters were smart enough to understand how to use the poison and plan ahead. This discovery
00:39pushes back the use of poison weapons by over 50,000 years, with the previous oldest poison
00:44arrow dating to 7,000 years ago. That evidence came from a site called Kruger Cave, roughly 400 miles
00:49from the new discovery, where scientists found ancient poison and arrowheads inside an animal bone.
00:55Several modern-day hunter-gatherer groups use poison while hunting. For example,
00:59the Jutwanzi san in Namibia apply poison made from leaf beetle larvae to the tips of arrows
01:04to take down antelope or wildebeest. To find out more, head to livescience.com or click the link in the
01:09description.
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