I’ve been worldbuilding cultures that are in different stages of their technological evolution.
And that got me thinking about what technology really is, and how humans were able to get from stone knives to exploring space.
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My favorite “definition” of technology is from the European Space Agency. The ESA succinctly describes technology as the practical application of knowledge to do something new. What I love about the way the ESA talks about technology is that they suggest that, compared to other animals’ bodies, human bodies are pretty unremarkable. Well, except for the brains and hands that allow us to accomplish incredible things.
Essentially, making and using tools helps us stand out in the animal kingdom.
And while we do like to think of making and using tools as being traits that make us special compared to other animals, there is a slight nuance to the idea of our specialness.
Surprising Technology Users from the Animal Kingdom
We often think of primates when we think about tool use. And tool use by orangutans and other primates has been well documented. However, we’re not the only order of animals observed using tools. There are a notable number and variety of examples.
Wasps using pebbles as hammers. Octopi hiding in coconut shells they carry with them. Butcher birds using thorns to impale their prey. There are even early anecdotes of polar bears hunting with projectiles.
But, genetic programming is thought to be responsible for much of the tool usage seen in the wild. Genes are responsible for hermit crabs carrying around other creatures’ shells, and genes are the reason behind ant-lions throwing sand at their prey. Problem solving and making tools is where intelligence comes into play.
So, yeah, our increasingly big brains and dexterous hands make our bodies remarkable. But, maybe not as remarkable as we like to think.
Our mammal-mates, dolphins, have brains, but they don’t really need hands. They “use tools” to manipulate objects and creatures… a lot. For instance, they throw toys at humans to get our attention. That's a form of tool use known as baiting or enticing. And on a more utilitarian note, a dolphin in captivity was seen locating a piece of tile, taking it down to the bottom of their pool, and using it to scrape away algae for a meal.
So, based on the previous definition, it looks like humans are not the only animals with technology. But, we do seem to have taken it farther than most.
Technology through Time
While most of the advanced technology users in the animal kingdom are still in the early stages, humans moved on after a mere 3.4 million years in the stone age.
Over time, humans transitioned to using fire to cook food …then smelting metal. Simple machines gave way to more complex ones. And don’t forget symbolic art, numeracy, and literacy.
And this transition from stone age to space age came relatively quickly. We may have been in the stone age for millions of years, but abacus to computer? 4500 years. Computer to internet? 140 years. And one of the first seminars about the concept of artificial intelligence was just 70 years ago.
There is some thinking that our path to the modern technological age may have been due to something called cumulative cultural evolution. The idea being that every new advancement was built by using previous ones as stepping stones. This philosophy is still pretty hotly debated, though.
A little less controversial is a variant on that concept, which suggests that humans began to evolve more quickly when we finally settled down. When life was short and all we cared about was our next meal, we didn’t have time to think. We didn’t have time to talk to each other about our thoughts. And we didn’t have billions of minds that could, even spontaneously, come up with the same idea in a short amount of time. Being safe, warm, and well fed led to the ability to innovate.
If more of the world’s population reaches this level of comfort, there’s no telling where our species could be a century from now. Hopefully, science fiction writers can keep up with the pace of advancement.
Until next time, stay curious.
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