Neanderthal glue shows planning
Researchers have discovered that Neanderthals, who were humans’ closest known relatives, used to make a type of glue to help craft their tools. This suggests that Neanderthals were cleverer than scientists previously thought.
Neanderthals first emerged more than 200,000 years ago, but they were replaced by modern humans (Homo sapiens) between 35,000 and 24,000 years ago. Experts aren’t completely sure why Neanderthals disappeared, but it’s thought they couldn’t compete with humans for food and other resources.
Recently, a selection of forgotten ancient tools were rediscovered at the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Berlin, Germany. These had originally been found around 1910 at a site in southern France, where scientists believed Neanderthals had lived thousands of years ago.
After examining the tools, researchers found that they had a sticky substance on them. This was made out of natural materials found in soil and sand. Based on their findings, the researchers made their own version of the sticky material.
They realised that this “glue” was actually used to make a sticky handle that could be moulded around a stone tool, giving the user a better grip. Neanderthals made the glue strong enough to stick to the tool, but not so sticky that it would get stuck to their hands. The texture was similar to Play-Doh. The use of glue had been discovered on early human tools found in Africa, but this is the earliest evidence for it being used in Europe.
The researchers say this discovery shows that Neanderthals would have made long journeys to get the materials needed to make their tools. This means that they had to plan ahead and prepare for these trips. The researchers say this is the first time they have been able to prove that Neanderthals had the intelligence to make plans for the future. Glue is just one example of the crafting abilities of Neanderthals. Previously, researchers found a piece of string that was made by Neanderthals twisting together natural fibres from plants. Other findings have shown that they used to scrape pictures onto cave walls, made up of creative lines, dots and swirls, and they also made jewellery out of things like eagle claws, bones and shells.
A tool glued, Neanderthal-style.