On the Evolution of Tool-Using Behavior

New archeological discoveries from the Lower Pleistocene in Africa, the advent of radiometric dating techniques, and recent observations on the behavior of free-ranging nonhuman primates can be combined to provide a fresh perspective on the evolution of tool-using behavior. The Lower Pleistocene in which relatively simple Oldowan tools are associated with small-brained forms lasted over two million years and represents over 80 percent of human history. These discoveries suggest that tool-making and tool-using are behavior patterns that emerged much more slowly in the course of human evolution than was previously thought