内容摘要：Audience members watch as spellers compete in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Audience members watch as spellers compete in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

. They were discovered in a coal mine over two decades ago in the German town of Schöningen along with the remains of nearly 50 horses.Previous estimates dated the spears to 300,000 years ago so scientists thought the weapons belonged to a group of

called Homo heidelbergensis — thought to be the last common ancestor betweenBut the new analysis using a different dating technique suggests the spears are younger, placing them about 200,000 years old. The new age means the hunting weapons may have been used by Neanderthals instead, according to research published Friday in the journal Science Advances.Recent work has suggested that some Neanderthals mixed and mated with early humans. The balanced, well-crafted spears could help scientists understand what Neanderthals were capable of and how they worked together to hunt.

The spears are “pretty sophisticated for something that old,” said study co-author Jarod Hutson with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.This 2014 photo provided by researchers shows a set of wooden hunting spears estimated to be about 200,000 years old discovered in a coal mine in the German town of Schöningen. (Volker Minkus/Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege via AP)

This 2014 photo provided by researchers shows a set of wooden hunting spears estimated to be about 200,000 years old discovered in a coal mine in the German town of Schöningen. (Volker Minkus/Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege via AP)

But it’s not yet clear why the new dating disagrees with previous estimates. Archaeologist Thomas Terberger with the University of Göttingen said more research is needed to be sure of the spears’ age and who used them to hunt.Nathan Carter was one of them.

“I feel pretty well prepared. I’ve had real ID for a while,” he said as he prepared to return home to Kansas City from Philadelphia.AP correspondent Julie Walker reports most travelers must have a REAL ID now to fly in the U.S., or face extra screening.

The new requirement for domestic flights has been the subject of much discussion on social media in recent weeks, with people expressing confusion about whether they can travel without a REAL ID, sharing details about wait times and seeking advice on how to meet the requirements.Airport security checkpoints also accepted passports and tribal identification as usual.