Stone Age Role Revolution: Modern humans may have divided labor to conquer

Chalk up modern humanity’s rise and the extinction of Neandertals to a geographic accident. That’s the implication of a new analysis of material from previously excavated Stone Age sites.

Homo sapiens evolved in Africa’s resource-rich tropics. As a result, a division of labor arose beginning around 40,000 years ago that roughly corresponds to the arrangement found in most foraging societies today, say Steven L.