Scientists find fossil remains of the oldest, ‘modern hand’ of more than a million years – NTN24

A team of scientists led by Spanish, has been found in fossils of modern hand, as the oldest of ours that record, dating from more than 1.84 million years had Africa.

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The evolution of the hand is vital to understanding how we become human.

The fossils were found in the Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) and belong to a phalanx of the little finger of his left hand from an individual measured between 1.70 and 1.80 meters.

This is a modern hand, ie it belonged to a “land only” individual who did not use his hands to climb in trees, told Efe Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo, the Institute of Development in Africa (Madrid) and director of the research, published in the journal Nature Communications.

The hominids became bipedal makes about 6 million years, he continued this research

During the first four million years, all the hominids were characterized by a mixed pattern. climbed trees and were bipedal on the ground, hence their hands have double duty, handling and locomotion in trees.

EFE

When the hands were freed from the arboreal locomotion, his countenance changed adapt and to become “specialists handling stringent,” said Dominguez-Rodrigo.

“Our hand evolved, enabling a variety of grips and pressor enough strength to allow the widest range of manipulations” he said.

“It is this ability of handling which interacted with the brain to the development of our intelligence through the invention and use of tools” (the first are made 2.6 million . of years, found at Gona, Ethiopia)

Our hand changed. modified thumbs, fingers phalanges widened or straightened

Just this last feature only it is developed once abandoned arboreal life, which until this study, the researchers had established that had occurred about 1.5 million years ago and was the center of Homo erectus.

No But this new study establishes that the hands of these “modern” features have a length of at least 1.84 million years.

“Our finding shows that not only makes 1.84 million years and was a creature with one hand modern features but also that this creature was larger than any previous or contemporary to that kind “hominid.

And what kind the individual belonged hand found? “We’re not sure, because the teeth we lack, is risky, according to Domínguez-Rodrigo, adding that they do know the species that did not belong. Homo habilis and Paranthropus boisei

Collaboration: EFE