Neurosciences unlock the secret of the first abstract engravings

(CNRS) Long before Lascaux paintings, humans engraved abstract motifs on stones. The question is whether they are the result of unpurposive behaviour, the simple desire of imitating nature or endowed with meaning. A recent study is providing answers to this question. These prehistoric abstract patterns are processed by the same brain areas that recognize objects. They also activate a region of the left hemisphere that is well known in the processing of written language.