Stone-age superglue
Researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa have discovered a sophisticated stone-age "superglue" that was used to make and reinforce tools:
Stone Age Superglue Found -- Hints at Unknown Smarts? (via Make)
Stone Age humans... knowingly tweaked the chemical and physical properties of an iron-containing pigment known as red ochre with the gum of acacia trees to create adhesives for their shafted tools.Archaeologists had believed the blood-red pigment--used by people in what is now South Africa about 70,000 years ago--served a decorative or symbolic purpose.
But the scientists had also suspected that the pigment may have been purposely added to improve glue that held the peoples' tools together.
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Ah yes, the tendency of modern people to believe their own knowledge so superior to that of the ancients -- as though people had the time and energy for symbolism when trying to forge a life clearly more interdependent with the environment than ours is.
Those who believe so need to do more research into the Iron Age and ancient Indian medicine.
Symbolism and high art are reflections of a society that has already met its basic needs.
-- GimpWii
Exactly any mouse, exactly.
But only one tribe held the patent on this acacia/ocher glue, and they sold their glue at exorbitant rates for a while, using a security-through-obscurity approach to their intellectual property. When the details of the formula became common knowledge, they mercilessly sued any tool-maker that copied their formula, and bribed lawmakers to make any and all copies of their glue (or innovations on their glue) illegal. The prevailing state of affairs became so hostile to innovation that all the bright individuals (who would otherwise be spending their time inventing things) became lawyers instead, and used their cleverness to devise craftier laws to prevent innovation and free access to information.
Oh wait, that didn't happen?
We've really come a long way since those primitive times.
Shaman, Me make new tools and scratch balls. Hand stuck to sack... again.
if you have ever tried your hand at knapping flint, making tools from what nature provides and hunting/gathering your dinner, you would have an acute appreciation for just how wonderful a really good glue is. I'd put it up there with knowing how to make or get a strong fiber. Definitely a tool to make the tools to make the tools.
I wonder; do you suppose they used it to glue wounds shut with any success? Perhaps with a hollow bone drain? That's the kind of tech that leaves no trace.
I randomly caught this special on glue one late night on tour, made me appreciate it and learn more:
http://www.amazon.com/History-Channel-Modern-Marvels-Glue/dp/B000LUFQZI
Glue is essential
I find it hard to believe that the researchers were surprised. There are a lot of very complex prehistoric glues. Maybe not proved to be as old as this, but most glues dissolves with age.
And of course, it really takes a genius too invented gluing.
Beeswax+ammonia+some hardener is old. If I remember correct, the oldest finds are something like 8000 years old. Wouldn't last 70,000 years though.
Bloodglue is also really old and extremely complicated to make. I don't think an archeologist can determine if it is real glue or just plain blood if they find traces.
Anyone else tried to use homemade potash from birch trees to harden protein based glue/paint? It is wicked hard because wood from trees growing in slightly different soil give very different potash, yet the technology was already perfected during the Scandinavian late stone age (about 4000 years ago). Of course, different kinds of potash was used as a hardener in other parts of the world long before that.
You could claim that most prehistoric glues are really easy too discover by accident. Gum is sticky, milk stains is hard to get rid of (and sour milk stains even harder), as is our male fluids and collagen glues is easy to discover once you discovered cooking (another genius invention). Also, finding out that most gum get better as glues after shewing is kind of natural when you use your teeth as tools and your mouth as a storage container. But I think that the reason that these "primitive" glues were in wide use is because they where convenient and good enough, not because people didn't know of other more complicated glues.
It's reasonably well-known that the thinner the glue layer is, the better. It's less well known that by mixing powder into the glue, you end up gluing all the powder together, resulting in a gap-filling, very solid composite.
That's how machinable epoxy works (the kind that has A and B parts that are like putty) - even if it's 5-minute epoxy.
Anonymous "...as is our male fluids and collagen glues is easy to discover once you discovered cooking..."
Um, yeah. That barbeque at your house this weekend?...I can't make it.
But did they demonstrate its strength by having a worker glue his wooden helmet to a roof beam, and have the worker hold on for dear life?