Origin of numbers: Report suggests Neanderthals might have learnt to count before modern humans

Learning to count and the ability to compute has pushed humans to new heights of technological development. However, a new observation at the Les Pradelles near Angoulªme in France show that modern humans might not have been alone in developing a system of numerical notations, Neanderthals might have been the first. According to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, "Both fossil and genetic evidence indicate that Neanderthals and modern humans evolved from a common ancestor between 700,000 and 300,000 years ago. While the archaeologist states that there are gaps in the information channels, it is not clear what cultural or social factors might have encouraged Neanderthals to begin marking bones as a tool to count numbers. The Evolution of Cognitive Tools for Quantification, a project to provide insights into whether number systems are unique to modern humans will study the new developments to find the social factors that might have led to the decision.