A team of scientists has discovered that Neanderthals created stone tools held together by a multi-component adhesive. Its findings, which are the earliest evidence of a complex adhesive in Europe, suggest these predecessors to modern humans had a higher level of cognition and cultural development than previously thought. The work, reported in the journal Science Advances, included researchers from New York University (NYU), the University of Tübingen, and the National Museums in Berlin.
“These astonishingly well-preserved tools showcase a technical solution broadly similar to examples of tools made by early modern humans in Africa, but the exact recipe reflects a Neanderthal ‘spin,’ which is the production of grips for handheld tools,” explained Radu Iovita, an associate professor at NYU’s Center for the Study of Human Origins.