On Monday, Feb 7, 2005, at 23:27 Asia/Tokyo, Todd Moody wrote:

> You don't need fangs and claws to be a meat-eater if you
> have tools.  "Sussman points out that the first tools didn't appear
> until two million years ago."  Well, as far as I know the earliest and
> most primitive stone tools are in fact associated with
> Australopithecus,

One thing about scientists is they don't like to speculate (unless it
supports their thesis). Clearly, if Australopithicus was capable of
making stone tools 2 million years ago, it was capable of making tools
of other more perishable materials far longer. The process of making
stone tools does not spring to mind full-formed. And then, of course,
before making tools started, there had to be a long period of using
ready made 'tools'. All this pushes back the the time so far that this
thesis become essentially meaningless.