Humans’ unique language capacity was present at least 135,000 years ago, according to a survey of genomic evidence. As such, language might have entered social use 100,000 years ago.

Sharp stone technology chipped over three million years allowed early humans to exploit animal and plant food resources, which in turn played a large role in increasing human brain size and kick-starting a technological trajectory that continues to this day. But how did the production of stone tools – called ‘knapping’ – start? Three Cleveland Museum of Natural History researchers have proposed a new hypothesis for the origin of stone technology in human evolution. Associate Curator and the Robert J. and Linnet E. Fritz Endowed Chair of Human Origins Dr. Emma Finestone and Museum research associates Drs. Michelle R. Bebber and Metin I. Eren (both also professors at Kent State University) led a team of 24 scientists to publish the new hypothesis in the journal Archaeometry.