Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41372405›Full record

ArticleNature2026

Earliest evidence of making fire.

Rob Davis, Marcus Hatch, Sally Hoare, Simon G Lewis, Claire Lucas, Simon A Parfitt, Silvia M Bello, Mark Lewis, Jordan Mansfield, Jens Najorka and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. What Is the Acheulean?Evolutionary anthropology · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Rob DavisDepartment Britain, Europe and Prehistory, British Museum, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5322-7589
Marcus HatchSchool of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Sally HoareDepartment of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, HLC, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0682-8402
Simon G LewisSchool of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Claire LucasDepartment Britain, Europe and Prehistory, British Museum, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4933-4522
Simon A ParfittInstitute of Archaeology, University College London, London, UK.
Silvia M BelloCHER, Natural History Museum, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3777-7887
Mark LewisCHER, Natural History Museum, London, UK.
Jordan MansfieldIndependent researcher, Campagnac-lès-Quercy, France.
Jens NajorkaCore Research Laboratories, Natural History Museum, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1144-2368
Simon O'ConnorDepartment Britain, Europe and Prehistory, British Museum, London, UK.
Sylvia PeglarIndependent researcher, Cambridge, UK.
Andrew SorensenFaculty of Archaeology, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-7224-001X
Chris StringerCHER, Natural History Museum, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9183-7337
Nick AshtonDepartment Britain, Europe and Prehistory, British Museum, London, UK. nashton@britishmuseum.org.ORCID 0000-0001-9787-3892

Funding

Calleva Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Fire-making is a uniquely human innovation that stands apart from other complex behaviours such as tool production, symbolic culture and social communication. Controlled fire use provided adaptive opportunities that had profound effects on human evolution. Benefits included warmth, protection from predators, cooking and creation of illuminated spaces that became focal points for social interaction

Indexed as

CookingFiresAnimalsArchaeologyGeologic SedimentsHumansIronIron

Identifiers

PMID41372405

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.