Final answer:
The use of stone tools like the Oldowan and Mousterian reflects complex cognitive abilities, planning, and learned behaviors, indicating cultural rather than natural selection. Advances in toolmaking are linked with the progression of cognitive and communicative skills across human evolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The use of stone tools was not naturally selected, as it involves complex processes of cognition, planning, and skill development that go beyond natural selection's simple adaptative changes. The development of Oldowan tools by Homo habilis approximately 2.6 million years ago was one such advancement that required the understanding of which rocks could serve as base and chipper, the sequence of chips needed to produce a sharp edge, and to achieve this without breaking the core.
Further advances, such as the Mousterian tools, reflect an evolving sophistication in toolmaking typified by smaller, more precise hand-axes and flake tools. These tools demonstrate a significant leap in human engineering ability and imply a complex learning process potentially facilitated by imitation and the capacity for complex speech. The transition to more advanced tools such as the blade tools seen during the Upper Paleolithic period, which were more efficient and made from a wider variety of materials, signifies continuous improvement and innovation in stone tool technology, which aligns with theories on the progression of human cognitive and communicative abilities.
This progression suggests that toolmaking was a learned behavior, improved upon over generations and potentially linked to the emergence of a more complex language and the ability to teach and imitate. All these elements point to a gradual cultural evolution rather than a biological adaptation explained by natural selection.