Scientists find monkeys using stone tools

Scientists were astounded to discover white-faced capuchins using stone tools to crack open nuts and shellfish on a Panamanian island. This makes the monkeys the fourth group of nonhuman primates known to do so, and, writes author Sarah Kaplan in the Washington Post, they present a perfect opportunity for evolutionary anthropologists to learn about how our human ancestors entered the Stone Age.

Arizona State University’s Joan Silk, a professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change and the Institute of Human Origins, commented on the value of this discovery to the field of evolutionary anthropology.

“It's just more good natural history to add to what we know about the way animals use tools in the wild,” she said. “And knowing more about tool use in other animals is super interesting because it helps us see how human tool use is different.”

Read the full article to learn more.