Meet the toolmaker

Published on: Author: regmorrison

Axiom: “Humans are the only animals that make and use complex tools, and this  talent sets them apart from the rest of the animal world” . . . Wrong!

Very few people are aware that we share our planet with a tiny toolmaker whose daily survival hinges on a hand weapon of such sophistication that human hunters failed to match its complexity for almost 200,000 years.

Its weapon appears to display a level of design, craftsmanship and engineering that only a massive brain with vast neuronal resources could possibly achieve, yet this hunter only has about 1,000 neurons in its tiny brain.

By virtue of a meticulous sequence of constructive and deconstructive acts, this hunter also appears to fully comprehend the mechanics of its complex weapon, yet its astonishing technical skill passes from generation to generation via genetic inheritance alone.

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