Butchered bird bones put humans in Madagascar 10,500 years ago
Cut marks on the remains of an ancient elephant bird pushes the timeline back 6,000 years
![elephant bird illustration and leg bones](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/091218_BB_madagascar_feat.jpg?fit=860%2C460&ssl=1)
BACK IN TIME Researchers say people reached Madagascar at least 10,500 years ago and began hunting now-extinct elephant birds, depicted at left. Two leg bones of elephant birds, right, display damage inflicted by meat-seeking humans.
Alain Rasolo (illustration), V.R. Pérez/Univ. of Mass. Amherst (photos)