What distinguished Neanderthals and near-modern humans from their predecessors 300,000 years ago, it is believed, was their ability to make and use complex tools, but there is no consensus among experts about how this dazzling leap in technology influenced human evolution. In the March 2 issue of the journal Science, paleoanthropologist Stanley Ambrose challenges conventional wisdom about Paleolithic technology and hammers out a set of new hypotheses about our evolutionary odyssey.
In his article, "Paleolithic Technology and Human Evolution," Ambrose offers a comprehensive review of the evidence for tool-making and the evolution of hands and brains as a foundation upon which to propose ideas about the co-evolution of our ancestors' technology, hands, brains and language. Complex tool-making, which required fine motor skills, problem-solving and task planning, he argues, may have influenced the evolution of the frontal lobe, and co-evolved with the gift of grammatical language 300,000 years ago.
Bimanual tool use was the first major breakthrough.
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