Language and Tool-Making Evolved at the Same Time in Human History

What do language and tools have in common? Quite a lot, apparently. Researchers have discovered that the same brain activity found for language production is also associated with making complex tools. It's very possible that both tool-making and language skills evolved at the same time.

In order to better understand tool-making skills, the researchers tested the brain activity of 10 expert stone tool makers as they performed a stone tool-making task and a standard language test. The researchers also measured the participants' blood brain flow during both tasks by using functional Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound (fTCD). This technique is commonly used in clinical settings to test patients' language functions after brain damage or before surgery.

"Our study found correlated blood-flow patterns in the first 10 seconds undertaking both tasks," said Georg Meyer, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This suggests that both tasks depend on common brain areas and is consistent with theories that tool-use and language co-evolved and share common processing networks in the brain."

Darwin was actually the first to suggest that tool-use and language may have co-evolved. Both depend on complex planning and the coordination of actions. Until now, though, there has been little evidence to support this claim. Now, the similar brain patterns may show that Darwin was indeed correct.

"Nobody has been able to measure brain activity in real time while making a stone tool," said Natalie Uomini, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This is a first for both archaeology and psychology."

The findings reveal a little bit more about the evolutionary history of our ancient ancestors. In addition, it shows what sort of mental hurdles our brain must accomplish while creating stone tools and performing language tasks.

The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.