Final answer:
The difference between nonhuman primate tool use and hominin tool technology is the complexity and intentionality of tool creation. Hominins like Homo habilis crafted tools with specific functions, requiring deeper cognitive processes and potentially influencing the emergence of language and culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The difference between nonhuman primate tool use and hominin tool technology primarily lies in the sophistication and intentionality behind the making and using of tools. Nonhuman primates like gorillas might use sticks to perform simple tasks such as checking water depth, but hominins, such as Homo habilis and Homo erectus, began creating tools with specific purposes in mind. Approximately 2.5 million years ago, H. habilis started crafting Oldowan tools for purposes like butchering carcasses, indicating a more complex cognitive process of planning and execution than that observed in nonhuman primate tool use.
These early hominins needed to understand material properties and have a conception of the finished tool before starting the creation process. The development of tool innovation and eventual weaponry marked a significant step in hominin cognitive abilities, potentially linked to the emergence of language and culture. As hominins' tool technology evolved, so did their diets and physical characteristics, such as smaller teeth and jaws—adaptations possibly stemming from processed and cooked foods, unlike their nonhuman primate counterparts. The evolution of tool use in hominins is so significant that it is often associated with the development of protolanguages, suggesting an intimate link between cognitive capabilities and tool-making skills.