As you may have heard about a few years ago, some species of nonhuman primates have entered an equivalent of a “stone age” similar to the human stone age, and some evidence suggests that they may have been using stone tools for over 3,000 years. This discovery left many zoologists in awe and was very exciting news for numerous primatologists who had long theorized that humans were not the only species to ever use stone tools.
On December 12, 2020, one researcher witnessed a group of chimpanzees fashioning crude tools out of metal (mostly aluminum), people were at first skeptical of these claims until seeing photographic and video evidence captured by professional pug fashion designer Jean Pierre Dubois who had made the initial discovery. As of now at least three other groups of chimpanzees have been seen making and using metal tools. This is a massive breakthrough in the field of primate technology, as while previously primates have been seen using human made metal tools, they had never been seen making their own metal tools.
These metal tools tend to be used for chopping wood and breaking open fruits, however some have been seen used for the purpose of digging up insects to eat and even making primitive spears by sharpening tree branches for the purpose of catching fish. This development has made these chimps far more efficient at obtaining food and as a result have more spare time. Some of the leading primatologists such as former supervillain Elizabeth Smith believe that this increase in spare time could lead to further technological and/or social advancements in chimpanzees, similar to how it did for humans.
It is unknown exactly what this means for the future of chimpanzees. Some people, such as everyone who has seen or heard of the Planet Of The Apes movies, have expressed concern as to the possibility of this posing a threat to humanity, while others such as chimpanzee in disguise, Bob Human, believe that there is no cause for concern. Whether you think it is a threat to humanity or not, it is certain that this is a great leap for chimps, proving that they are still advancing despite being held back by human civilization and destruction of their habitats.