For a while, experts assumed that our ancient human counterparts, the Neanderthals, were less advanced and intelligent than we were. But a study recently published in Science Advances is calling this long-held notion into question, reporting evidence of Neanderthals using adhesive material. That is to say, they were making glue.
“Compound adhesives are considered to be among the first expressions of the modern cognitive processes that are still active today,” said Patrick Schmidt, who co-led the study and works in the University of Tübingen’s Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology section, in the press release. “What our study shows is that early Homo sapiens in Africa and Neanderthals in Europe had similar thought patterns.”
Researching Ancient Tools
Glue might not seem like a novel advancement. But there is a complex chemistry that goes behind attaching a stone to a stick.
