700,000-year-old elephant tooth reveals lush world of early humans

A huge elephant molar found at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov in northern Israel has helped researchers reconstruct a lush landscape of forests, rivers and wetlands from nearly 700,000 years ago. The remains lay alongside basalt handaxes of the Acheulian tradition. The study, led by Haifa University's Hannah Farrell in Quaternary Science Reviews, suggests water-rich habitats helped early humans survive.