Nut-cracking Toddler

Nut-cracking, a seemingly straightforward way of accessing nutritious and hardened oil palm nuts, entails complexity. To successfully crack a nut requires mastering of the precise technique and the ability to utilise the appropriate hammer and anvil in combination. In a village in the Republic of Congo, a young girl demonstrates this complex skill with ease. But how do young children develop these technological skills, and how are other more complex tool-using skills acquired? The goal of my research is to shed light on the mechanisms that may have led to us becoming the most technologically advanced species.
by Ellen Soeters