The oldest adornments ever found, perforated shells, were discovered in a limestone cave in eastern Morocco. These shells, some dyed with red ochre, were likely pierced for the purpose of being strung into necklaces or bracelets around 82,000 years ago. This discovery precedes similar adornments found in Algeria, South Africa, and Palestine. The Moroccan government stated that this finding is a significant advancement in understanding cultural innovations and their impact on human history. Despite yielding important prehistoric discoveries, little is known about the humans who lived in Morocco before Berber farmers settled in the region over 2,000 years ago. A group of scientists from Morocco, Britain, France, and Germany discovered and dated the shells in order to investigate the impact of climate and landscape changes on human behavior from 130,000 to 13,000 years ago. This research is part of a larger study examining whether the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Morocco from Spain, served as a pathway or obstacle for early humans migrating between Africa and Europe.