Neanderthals already used a complex adhesive to make stone tools

A team of researchers discovered in Europe the oldest remains of a complex adhesive, a type of glue that Neanderthals used to make stone tools.

The discovery, published this week in the journal Science Advances, suggests that these close relatives of modern humans were more advanced than previously thought.

Researchers re-examined artefacts found in France at the beginning of the 20th century, at a site known as Le Moustier, which had not been inspected since the 1960s.

The tools in question were recently rediscovered during a review of the inventory of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Berlin.

“The objects were individually packaged and had not been touched since the 1960s. As a result, the remains of organic substances trapped there were very well preserved”, explained researcher Ewa Dutkiewicz, one of the team leaders, cited in a statement.

In the analyses, the scientists found traces of clay and bitumen, which together form a mixture sticky enough to adhere to stone tools, but without sticking to the hands, and can be used as a handle.

It was already known that the first humans in Africa used adhesive mixtures to make tools, but it was not known that Neanderthals did the same in Europe.

“What our study shows is that the first Homo sapiens in Africa and the Neanderthals in Europe had similar thinking patterns”, highlighted Patrick Schmidt, another of the researchers.

Schmidt also highlighted the importance of this idea for understanding human evolution.

Experts from New York University, the University of Tübingen and the national museums in Berlin also participated in this study.