Chinese nationals may have been the earliest people to make textile from silk fiber, according to a recent report in international academic journal Plos One. The report was created by scholars from the University of Science and Technology of China.

Scientists inspected silk fibroin through soil samples collected from three tombs at the Neolithic site of Jiahu, Henan province. Rough weaving tools and bone needles were also excavated from the site, indicating that Jiahu residents from 8,500 years ago may have possessed basic weaving and sewing skills necessary for producing textiles.

Although previous studies have provided evidence of the early emergence of weaving, there has long been a lack of direct evidence proving the existence of silk. According to the report, this new finding may advance the study of early silk production, as well as civilization during the Neolithic Age, by nearly 4,000 years.