If there is one thing that humans and other animals can be distinguished, it must be the ability to use the language of the former. However, this feature is when and why it evolved? A new study has concluded that the art of conversation may already appear in early human evolution, because it allows us to more easily ancestors church how each other manufacture stone tools – behind the skills for the human race is to flourish critical.
Researchers have been discussing when to start talking to each other humans. However, a very broad range of estimates – as early as 200 million years ago, humans appear, as late dating back 50,000 years ago.
Because the conversation will not leave any trace in the archaeological record, so the researchers used a surrogate for the ability of this symbol, such as the early art production technology or complex tools. However, these indirect methods can not resolve the debate about the origin of language.
Now, by the University of California, Berkeley psychologist Thomas Morgan led a research team to try a completely different way to solve this problem.
And the tool manufacturing as a substitute language is different, Morgan and his colleagues explored the modern language may help to learn how to make tools.
Researchers from the University of St Andrews recruited 184 students, and based on some of the members of the research team, and divided them into five groups.
Archaeologists first person in each group taught how to manufacture artifacts called Orr Dvorak stoneware, including early humans dating back 2.5 million years ago, manufactured by relatively simple stone. The need to create a useful stone in the right position and angle of the stone hitting the job.
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