People Wore Shoes Earlier than Thought

National Geographic states a recent study of ancient human remains in China indicate that at least some humans were wearing shoes 40,000 years ago, around 10,000 years earlier than previously believed.

"Now the dainty-toed fossil from China suggests that at least some humans were sporting protective footwear 10,000 years further back, during a time when both modern humans and Neandertals occupied portions of Europe and Asia."

Shoe wearing humans leave anatomical traces in the bones of the feet and toes, particularly the middle toe bones, which appear more slender than barefoot humans due to decreased forces applied on the bones when walking in footwear. The oldest footwear yet discovered only dates to around 10,000 years ago, however.