Which of the following hominins is associated with the use of highly sophisticated stone tools?

The association of highly sophisticated stone tools is most closely linked with Homo neanderthalensis. These hominins are recognized for their advanced tool-making skills, particularly through the Mousterian tool culture, which is characterized by the production of flake tools that were used for a variety of tasks such as hunting, butchering, and woodworking. Neanderthals developed tools that required a high level of skill and understanding of materials.

In contrast, while Homo habilis is considered one of the earliest users of stone tools, their technology was relatively simple compared to that of Neanderthals. Homo sapiens are known for their very advanced tools, especially in more recent phases of human history, but Neanderthals had already established a complex tool-making tradition before Homo sapiens fully developed their own unique tool industries. The Denisova hominins, known primarily from genetic evidence and a few archaeological finds, are less understood in terms of their tool-making capabilities compared to Neanderthals, making them less relevant in this context.