Michael Haslam

Stone tools could be considered one of the greatest inventions. They entered the tool kit of our hominin forebears more than three million years ago1, and eventually had a variety of functions, from aiding in practical tasks to providing status symbols. They literally shaped our ancestors’ lives. What drove this stone-tool innovation? Writing in PLoS ONE, Motes-Rodrigo et al.2 bring context to the evolution of stone-tool use through their study of captive orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus).

Abstract The human archaeological record changes over time. Finding such change in other animals requires similar evidence, namely, a long-term sequence of material culture. Here, we apply archaeological excavation, dating and analytical techniques to a wild capuchin monkey (Sapajus libidinosus) site in Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil.

Researchers used an interdisciplinary approach combining ecology and archaeological methods to study sea otters' past behavior. March 14, 2019 An international team of researchers has analyzed the use by sea otters of large, shoreline rocks as “anvils” to break open shells, as well as the resulting shell middens. The researchers used ecological and archaeological approaches to identify patterns that are characteristic of sea otter use of such locations.