Neanderthals Invented Synthetic Super Glue 200,000 Years Ago
Neanderthals may have been the first to intentionally produce birch tar using a complex underground technique, according to a recent study. Researchers analyzed artifacts made using birch tar and found that the low-oxygen profile of the tar suggested it was made using an underground oven. This technique would have required a specific recipe to be followed precisely and could not be monitored once buried. The findings suggest that Neanderthals invented and refined this transformative technique independently of Homo sapiens, beating any evidence of our species making tar by 100,000 years.