Early humans were smarter than previously thought

​New York: Our ancestors predating Neanderthals might have been much smarter that we thought as researchers have found evidence that human-like ways of thinking may have emerged as early as 1.8 million years ago.

The researchers believe that the same areas of the brain engaged in modern activities like playing the piano were also used in making stone tools dating from 1.8 million to 100,000 years ago.

The results, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, place the appearance of human-like cognition at the emergence of Homo erectus, an early apelike species of human first found in Africa whose evolution predates Neanderthals by nearly 600,000 years.

"This is a significant result because it's commonly thought our most modern forms of cognition only appeared very recently in terms of human evolutionary history," said first author on the study Shelby Putt from Indiana University in the US.

"But these results suggest the transition from apelike to humanlike ways of thinking and behaving arose surprisingly early," Putt said.

The study's conclusions are based upon brain activity in modern individuals taught to create two types of ancient tools: simple Oldowan-era "flake tools" -- little more than broken rocks with a jagged edge -- and more complicated Acheulian-era hand axes, which resemble a large arrowhead.

Both are formed by smashing rocks together using a process known as "flintknapping."Oldowan tools, which first appeared about 2.6 million years ago, are among the earliest used by humanity's ancestors. Acheulian-era tool use dates from 1.8 million to 100,000 years ago.

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