Byrne: Researchers have found evidence in a cave in southern Spain that the skeletal remains of ancient humans buried there were excavated, modified and even used as tools by later generations.
The team, led by researchers from the University of Bern in Switzerland, examined the remains found in a cave near the city of Granada in southern Spain.
They found that the remains belonged to at least 12 different people who were buried between 5,000 BC and 2,000 BC and that the bones had been deliberately altered. There were fractures and bruises in the bones that resulted from attempts to extract the pulp.
Researchers also found a human foot bone that was used as a tool. Marco Malela, a research fellow in physical anthropology at the University of Bern and study author, said the bone was first broken and one end of the resulting fragment was used to scrape off some material.
