Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first stone tool appeared approximately two million years ago and was crafted by hominids. This act marked the beginning of a species that would eventually reshape the planet through observation and trial and error.
Evidence of continuous human fire use dates back at least 1.5 million years and includes hearths from 790 thousand years ago. This mastery of fire allowed early humans to cook food, increasing its digestibility and nutrient value, which promoted an increase in hominid brain size.
The invention of the wheel occurred between 5,500 and 3,000 BCE and likely emerged independently in Mesopotamia, the Northern Caucasus, and Central Europe. The oldest known wooden wheel was discovered in the Ljubljana Marsh of Slovenia and dates back 5,100 to 5,350 years.
Technological advancement has caused pollution, resource depletion, and increased release of greenhouse gases including methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. Contaminants such as lead sulfide flux used by the Inca Empire in the smelting of ores have been a concern since ancient times.
The debate between technological determinism and social constructivism continues to shape the field of technology philosophy. Technological determinism asserts that technologies cause unavoidable social changes, while social constructivism argues that technologies are shaped by cultural values and economic incentives.
Half of machine learning experts surveyed in 2140 believe that AI will automate all human jobs by 2140. These experts also estimate that AI will accomplish every task better and more cheaply than humans by 2063.