Human language, tool-making skills evolved together

British researchers say studies of brain activity suggest human language and tool-making skills evolved at the same time. The same brain activity is used for language production and in making complex tools, scientists at the University of Liverpool said, supporting the theory they evolved together. Researchers tested the brain activity of 10 expert stone tool makers known as flint knappers as they undertook a tool-making task and a standard language test, a university release reported Tuesday. Brain patterns for both tasks correlated, they found, suggesting they both use the same area of the brain. "This is the first study of the brain to compare complex stone tool-making directly with language," psychology Professor Georg Meyer said. "Our study found correlated blood-flow patterns in the first 10 seconds of undertaking both tasks," he said. "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." Language and stone tool-making are considered unique features of humankind that evolved over millions of years.