Re: Why are we the only living things that have technological advancements.

The key to the ability of humans to have advanced technology is found in
two abilities that humans have that are not found in other animals. I
presume that you don't need to know why plants and microorganisms don't
have technological advancements.

The two abilities that humans have are symbolic communication, mainly in
the form of speech, and very fine motor coordination of the hands and
fingers. The latter allows humans to make very fine tools and the former
enables them to teach and communicate about that ability. Basically, this
makes it possible to build better and better tools and, eventually, to
domesticate wild animals and plants; the invention of agriculture.

The result of agriculture is that the production of food becomes so
efficient that not everyone has to be a farmer. A few farmers can feed a
population, freeing up many to have time to think and exercise their
curiosity to find out more about the world and the universe. And also to
create better and better tools. And so, we have the birth of science and
technology.

Other animals do make and use tools but at a much lower level than humans.
They depend on innate processes or teaching by example (social learning).
There are birds, for example, that drop rocks to open food sources, such as
nuts or mollusks (clams, oysters, etc.). In this case, the tools are found,
not made. Other birds drop the food onto rocks in an interesting reversal.
Sea otters use rocks to open mollusks (abalone). In this case they actually
grasp the rocks with their forepaws (hands). They often do this while
floating on their backs with the abalone on their chest. Here is a picture:
 http://mypage.direct.ca/r/rhsu/otters.html

Chimpanzees, perhaps the best technologists outside of humans (they are
also the closest relatives to humans among animals), make and use tools to
get food. They use small twigs, stripped of leaves and cleaned, as probes
to 'fish' for termites, for example. They stick the probes into the termite
nest and when they pull it out, there are termites clinging to it. These
they eat and then repeat the process.

Here is a link that will summarize what is known about animal technology:
 http://scienceweek.com/2005/sc050225-1.htm

In a recent discovery, chimps have been seen using short, sharpened sticks
to hunt bushbabys (small, nocturnal, non-monkey primates) that hide in
holes in trees. The stick is thrust into the hole, pointed end first, then
removed and examined for evidence of bushbaby. If such evidence is found,
the chimpanzee will thrust the stick with vigor and attempt to extract the
bushbaby. If successful, they then eat them (head first, according to the
discover of this phenomenon, Jill Pruetz). Here is a link for that:
 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070222-chimps-spears.html

There is currently much debate among anthropologists and primatologists
over whether or not these sharpened sticks constitute 'spears'. In my
opinion, it's hard to see how they don't.

I hope I have answered your question.