Disillusioned JW.....The article stresses the fact that distantly related non-Homo primates use percussive tools (hammer stones) that produce flakes that at times might appear to be intentionally produced. This complicates the hypothesis that similar flakes associated with the earliest hominid sites were used as tools. What this means is that we need to seek corroborating evidence such as scraped bone, or flakes that clearly demonstrate intentional production, for greater confidence we are identifying tool making not just the incidental result of tool use.
Some non-Homo primates (and some other animals) have shown an aptitude for tool use, even production in some cases. This is the challenge of identifying behavior from simple artifacts.
Interestingly, an orangutan has been observed utilizing a sharp stone flake as a cutting tool it did not create. It seems plausible that the percussive tool use led to the intentional flake production, once the flakes were recognized as useful. This slight advancement might have been repeated countless times among primates. This emphasizes that homo evolution was not marked by huge leaps of skill and intelligence and that we need be cautious in assuming a behavior associated with stone flakes, especially so near the point of divergence from non-Homo ancestors.