Chimpanzees and monkeys have entered the Stone Age

“Some Chimpanzees Have Entered Stone Age.” Scientists On 3 Continents Make Surprising Discovery.

In the rainforests of west Africa, the woodlands of Brazil and the beaches of Thailand, archaeologists have stumbled upon some fascinating stone tools.

What sets them apart is not the workmanship or their antiquity: they belong to the same age as the Egyptian pyramids.

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What is exceptional about this discovery is that the tools were held by non-human hands.

Collin Barras, BBC, reports:

The tools are crude. A chimpanzee or monkey stone hammer is hardly a work of art to rival the beauty of an ancient human hand axe. But that’s not the point. These primates have developed a culture that makes routine use of a stone-based technology. That means they have entered the Stone Age.

The chimpanzees of west Africa had used these tools in a cruder way, to crack open nuts for example.

A few years ago, biologists believed only humans could make extensive use of tools. However, recent discovery falsifies this claim.Our closest living relatives might be similar to us, more than we could have ever imagined. An article published in Oxford journals suggests monkeys and chimpanzees have a flair for reading each other’s facial expressions. This certainly calls for a re-assessment of primates. 

Countries like New Zealand and the United Kingdom consider experiments on apes, illegal. Spain for example, allots them some human rights. In the U.S. too, there are reforms taking place in this area. A trial pending in New York courts wants chimpanzees to be granted full human rights.

If nothing else, we should certainly be compassionate and sympathetic to our primate cousins.

For Further Reading

Link 1, Link 2, Link 3.