Technological evolution mimics natural evolution, in that every new advancement creates new problems, which require new solutions that lead to new advancements, which create new problems and on and on it goes.

I recently re-learned that human intelligence evolved almost incidentally as a result of walking upright, which required our hips to slightly close, meaning in order to give birth our skulls need to be incomplete to squeeze through the pelvis. Thus our brains are allowed to continue growing and developing outside the womb, rather than get it all done in a short window. Of course, there are other factors, and this is a severe over-simplification, but I think the point is solid.