January 9, 2026
Toxic takes, ancient stakes
Scientists discover oldest poison, on 60k-year-old arrows
Oldest ‘poison’ arrows found — and the internet argues if they’re even arrows
TLDR: Researchers found 60,000-year-old weapon tips with plant toxins, the oldest evidence of poisoned hunting. Comments erupted over whether they’re arrows or dart tips and if it’s “venom” or “poison,” mixing nitpicks, memes, and awe at ancient brainpower — why this matters: our ancestors were smarter than you think.
Scientists found traces of toxic plant compounds on tiny quartz tips in a South African rock shelter, pushing poisoned hunting weapons back to 60,000 years — the oldest evidence yet. Cue the comment section turning into a gladiator arena. The loudest showdown: venom vs poison and arrows vs darts. “Are they really arrows?” one user demanded, noting the oldest bows are way younger. Another rolled in with the classic actually and insisted it’s venom, not poison — because venom harms when it enters the bloodstream, while poison kills if you eat it.
gilleain came armed with receipts, dropping Buphanidrine and Epibuphanisine links like a chemistry mic drop. adolph set the vibe with time-period context, linking the Middle Paleolithic and Late Pleistocene. WillAdams sparked a gear-head feud over whether these tips were on bows or atlatl darts (throwing spears). icyfox’s pedantry about venom launched jokes about ancient “poisoned” steaks being totally fine to eat. And yes, “The poisions?” typo became an instant meme.
Underneath the snark, there’s real awe: early humans were savvy enough to mix plant toxins like Bushman’s poison bulb, dose them right, and craft special tips — basically prehistoric chemistry. The vibe: half nitpick war, half “whoa, our ancestors were geniuses.”
Key Points
- •Poison residues were identified on 60,000-year-old quartz arrow tips from South Africa.
- •Chemical analyses detected buphanidrine and epibuphanisine, likely from Boophone disticha (Bushman’s poison bulb).
- •This is the earliest evidence of poisoned weapons, surpassing the previous record of ~35,000 years.
- •The small size of the arrow points suggests design optimized for delivering poison into wounds.
- •The study, published in Science Advances, supports advanced cognitive abilities in early Homo sapiens.