Tomos Proffitt

Abstract The ability to select appropriate tool material enabled early hominins access to new resources and environments. The underlying mechanisms driving tool selection effectively remain unknown. Observations of extant primates have demonstrated strong selectivity for specific tools, offering analogous insight into technological decision-making. However, whether tool selection is determined by individual experience alone or social information plays a role remained difficult to disentangle.

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.

This image made available by the journal Nature shows examples of flaked stones made by wild capuchin monkeys in Brazil. Scale bar at center is 5 cm (2 inches). In a report released Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2016, researchers say wild capuchin monkeys in Brazil deliberately break stones, unintentionally producing flakes similar to the ancient sharp-edged tools made by human ancestors. (Tomos Proffitt, Angeliki Theodoropoulou via AP)