Human evolution: Thumbs up for efficiency

Tracy L Kivell

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2021.02.021

Human evolution: Thumbs up for efficiency

Curr Biol. 2021 Mar 22;31(6):R289-R291. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.02.021.

Author

Tracy L Kivell¹

Affiliation

¹ School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Marlowe Building, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NR, UK; Department of Human Evolution, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Electronic address: t.l.kivell@kent.ac.uk.

PMID: 33756140
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.02.021

Abstract

Modelling a muscle key to flexing the thumb, a new study suggests that the powerful opposability that characterises the dextrous human hand evolved in some of our fossil relatives about two million years ago - a time when tool use became more important.

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MeSH terms

Fossils
Hand*
Humans
Thumb* / anatomy & histology