Despite intense scientific inquiry, there are still major gaps
in our knowledge about early human life. One major question that
remains unanswered: when humans were first capable of complex
cognition? In other words, when did early humans develop
sophisticated cognitive abilities, such as prioritization and
cultural transmission, that we would recognize today? A new
study in Nature addresses this; after six years of excavation,
archaeologists have unearthed technologically-advanced stone
tools that were created about 71,000 years ago. This finding
enhances our knowledge about the history of human tool use,
suggesting that sophisticated cognitive abilities were present
relatively early in human history. It also raises the
possibility that tools may have given early humans an advantage
as they ventured out of Africa. The ancient tools, called
microliths, were found at a site called Pinnacle Point in South
Africa. Microliths are small stone tools—less than 50mm in
length—that are heat-treated and trimmed into sp