clipped from: www.msnbc.msn.com   

Study compares sophisticated set with Stone Age human technologies

Central African chimpanzees crave honey so much that they've invented the animal kingdom's most complex known set of tools to get it, according to researchers who found many of the tools still slathered with the syrupy liquid.

A new study on the findings, accepted for publication in the Journal of Human Evolution, is believed to be the first to compare such a sophisticated chimp tool set with Stone Age human technologies. Hunger for honey appears to have motivated both species.

"Tools are used to solve ecological challenges," lead author Christophe Boesch explained to Discovery News. "The more complex and rewarding a challenge is, the more complex the solutions are going to be."

The chimp discoveries come on the heels of a recent study on captive rooks, a member of the crow family. These birds make and modify tools, such as bended hooks and stone catapults, using at least two such tools in a sequence.