Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:Researchers analyzed bone markings from 70,000-year-old artifacts to determine if artificial memory systems were in use. The team found that patterns in markings differentiated between butchering, decorative, and counting use cases. While not conclusive, the findings could show that cognitive abilities grew much earlier in the human timeline than previously believed. A team of researchers recently a study detailing an analysis of 22 artifacts (dated to between 15,000 and 70,000 years ago) intended to determine how scientists could better identify artificial memory systems, or AMSs. But potential AMSs show regular spatial patterns—what researchers claim are “distinct separation[s]” between the different types of markings.