The position of Australopithecus sediba within fossil hominin hand use diversity

Christopher J. Dunmore*, Matthew M. Skinner, Ameline Bardo, Lee R. Berger, Jean Jacques Hublin, Dieter H. Pahr, Antonio Rosas, Nicholas B. Stephens, Tracy L. Kivell

*Korrespondierende:r Autor:in für diese Arbeit

Publikation: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift (peer-reviewed)Artikel in Fachzeitschrift

41 Zitate (Scopus)

Abstract

The human lineage is marked by a transition in hand use, from locomotion towards increasingly dexterous manipulation, concomitant with bipedalism. The forceful precision grips used by modern humans probably evolved in the context of tool manufacture and use, but when and how many times hominin hands became principally manipulative remains unresolved. We analyse metacarpal trabecular and cortical bone, which provide insight into behaviour during an individual’s life, to demonstrate previously unrecognized diversity in hominin hand use. The metacarpals of the palm in Australopithecus sediba have trabecular morphology most like orangutans and consistent with locomotor power-grasping with the fingers, while that of the thumb is consistent with human-like manipulation. This internal morphology is the first record of behaviour consistent with a hominin that used its hand for both arboreal locomotion and human-like manipulation. This hand use is distinct from other fossil hominins in this study, including A. afarensis and A. africanus.

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)911-918
Seitenumfang8
FachzeitschriftNature Ecology and Evolution
Jahrgang4
Ausgabenummer7
DOIs
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 01 Juli 2020
Extern publiziertJa

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

  • Ökologie, Evolution, Verhaltenswissenschaften und Systematik
  • Ökologie

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