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Neanderthals could grab a hammer but would have had a hard time picking up a coin because the joints in their thumbs made precision grips more difficult than “ power presses. ”
- Researchers compared the thumb bones of Neanderthals and modern humans
- The joints between the former were flatter and had a smaller contact area
- This would have better suited grips where the thumb is extended
- Neanderthals would have been capable of precision grips – but not so easily
Neanderthals’ thumbs would have meant they could easily grip a tool like a hammer, but had difficulty picking up a coin, according to a study.
British experts compared the thumb bones in Neanderthals and modern humans – finding that the former were better suited to ‘power squeeze’ grips.
Neanderthals had a flatter, smaller contact area between their early metacarpal and trapezius bones – for which such grips with an extended thumb are easier.
On the other hand, our hands are better developed for so-called precision handles, in which objects are held between the tip of the thumb and the finger.
Instead, Power Squeeze grips see objects held between the fingers and palm – with the thumb extended straight and used to direct force.
Neanderthals’ thumbs would have meant that they could grip a tool like a hammer with ease, but would have struggled to pick up a coin. Pictured are the thumb bones of a modern human (left) and five Neanderthals (right). The yellow highlight represents the contact surface
In their study, anthropologist Ameline Bardo of the University of Kent and colleagues mapped in three dimensions the so-called trapeziometacarpal complex – the joints between the bones involved in the movement of the thumb – of five Neanderthals.
They compared these reconstructions with similar images taken from the remains of five early modern humans and 50 adult humans today.
The team found that the shape and relative orientation of these joints compared to Neanderthals and modern humans were indicative of different styles of repetitive thumb movements.
The joint at the base of the Neanderthal thumb was flatter, with a smaller contact area – and better suited to an extended thumb, positioned along the side of the hand, the researchers concluded.
This thumb posture, they added, suggests the regular use of electric pressure grips – like the ones humans now use to hold tools with handles.
In modern humans, the same joint surfaces are generally larger and more curved, a configuration which is advantageous when gripping objects between the pads of the finger and thumb, in what is known as a precision grip. .
The researchers said that although the thumb morphology of Neanderthals seemed better suited to electric pressure grips, they would still have been capable of precision hand postures.
However, they would have found it more difficult than modern humans.
British experts compared the thumb bones in Neanderthals and modern humans – finding that the former were better suited to ‘power squeeze’ handles (as pictured) in which objects are held between the fingers and the palm , while the thumb is extended and used to direct force. In the above, the blue bone is the first metacarpal and the purple the trapezius
Comparing the shapes of Neanderthal hand bones from fossil remains with those of modern humans may provide additional insight into the behaviors of our ancient relatives and early use of tools, the team said.
“The results show a distinct pattern of shape covariation in Neanderthals, consistent with more extended and adducted thumb postures that may reflect typical use of the handles commonly used for shank tools,” the researchers wrote in their report. article.
The results, they added, “underscore the importance of holistic analysis of joint shape in understanding the functional capabilities and evolution of the modern human thumb.”
The full results of the study were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Neanderthals had a flatter, smaller contact area between their early metacarpal and trapezius bones – for which such grips with an extended thumb are easier. On the other hand, our hands are better developed for so-called precision handles, in which objects are held between the tip of the thumb and the finger, as illustrated.
A close relative of modern humans, the Neanderthals died out 40,000 years ago
The Neanderthals were a close human ancestor who mysteriously became extinct about 40,000 years ago.
The species lived in Africa with the first humans for millennia before moving to Europe around 300,000 years ago.
They were then joined by humans, who entered Eurasia around 48,000 years ago.
The Neanderthals were a cousin species of humans, but not a direct ancestor – the two species separated from a common ancestor – who perished about 50,000 years ago. In the photo, an exhibition from the Neanderthal museum
These were the original “ cavemen, ” historically considered dark and brutal compared to modern humans.
Over the past few years, and particularly over the past decade, it has become increasingly evident that we are short selling Neanderthals.
A growing body of evidence points to a more sophisticated and versatile type of “cave man” than anyone thought possible.
It now seems likely that Neanderthals recounted, buried their dead, painted, and even crossed paths with humans.
They used body arts such as pigments and beads, and they were the very first artists, with Neanderthal rock art (and symbolism) in Spain apparently predating early modern human art by some 20,000 years. .
They are believed to have hunted on land and fished. However, they became extinct around 40,000 years ago following the success of Homo sapiens in Europe.
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