CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND—Kathelinjne Koops of the University of Cambridge has written an opinion piece in Biology Letters that challenges the adage that necessity is the mother of invention. She and her colleagues have reviewed studies on tool use among chimpanzees, orangutans, and bearded capuchins, and have found that their tool use did not increase during times of scarcity. Rather, primates use tools when there are calorie-rich, hard-to-reach foods, such as nuts and honey, available in the environment. Understanding the development of tool use in our primate cousins could provide insights into the development of human culture and technology, Koops explained. “The local environment may exert a powerful influence on culture and may, in fact, be critical for understanding the occurrence and distribution of material culture,” she told Science Daily.
How Does the Environment Shape the Development of Culture?
News November 12, 2014
Recommended Articles
Off the Grid September/October 2012
Aquincum, Hungary
Off the Grid July/August 2012
Pucará de Tilcara, Argentina
-
Features September/October 2014
Erbil Revealed
How the first excavations in an ancient city are supporting its claim as the oldest continuously inhabited place in the world
(Courtesy and Copyright Golden Eagle Global, Kurdistan, Iraq) -
Features September/October 2014
Castaways
Illegally enslaved and then marooned on remote Tromelin Island for fifteen years, with only archaeology to tell their story
(Richard Bouhet/ Getty Images) -
Letter from the Bronx September/October 2014
The Past Becomes Present
A collection of objects left behind in a New York City neighborhood connects students with the lives of people who were contemporary with their great-great-great-grandparents
(Courtesy Celia J. Bergoffen Ph.D. R.P.A.) -
Artifacts September/October 2014
Silver Viking Figurine
(Courtesy Claus Feveile/Østfyns Museum)