Alloy was used by the Inuit people. Native copper, however, was found worldwide, along with silver, gold, and platinum, which were also used to make tools, jewelry, and other objects since Neolithic times. Copper was the hardest of these metals, and the most widely distributed. It became one of the most important metals to the ancients. Eventually, humans learned to smelt metals such as copper and tin from ore, and, around 2500 BC, began alloying the two metals to form bronze, which was much harder than its ingredients. Tin was rare, however, being found mostly in Great Britain. In the Middle
Antimicrobial copper-alloy touch surfaces in April 2011 analyzed the effectiveness of copper-alloy furnishings to lessen the microbial load on various frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, toilet seats, and railings. Of the 14 surfaces tested 8 had statistically significant decreases in the number of microbes found on them while the other 6 had a decrease in the number of microbes as well, but not in a statistically significant amount. Additionally certain microbes in particular were found in far less quantities on the copper-alloy surfaces than on the normal ones, these being Vancomycin-resistant "Enterococcus", "Staphylococcus aureus", and Coliform bacteria. The study concluded that copper