Neanderthals manufactured the first synthetic glue by chemically altering birch bark

Neanderthals in central Italy were practicing sophisticated industrial chemistry 200,000 years ago, predating the technological milestones of Homo sapiens by over 150,000 years. By heating birch bark to approximately 350°C in oxygen-poor environments, they successfully cracked organic polymers into a sticky, viscoelastic tar. This process required precise temperature control; if the fire was too cool, the resin wouldn't form, and if too hot, the bark would simply ash.