Old Tools Are Us

Archeologists have found fabricated stone tools that pre-date modern humans. The thought process has been that tool use, at least fabricated tools, were the domain of the genus homo. But this kind of sets that concept on its ear.

I remember watching a video of chimpanzees where the chimp took this branch, stripped it of leaves and then slipped it into a termite mound. The termites cling to the the stick and they pull them out and eat them. 

You can see that here, it starts about 3.18

So the idea that another genus was actually making tools before our own isn't that surprising. Heck maybe we were like the Ottoman Turks, they were masters as adapting an enemies weapons for their own use that they conquered the Easter Med, perhaps our own ancestors saw some knucklehead making tools and stole the idea!