Convoluted human evolution: early dexterity (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, April 27, 2015, 00:22 (3499 days ago) @ David Turell

Before tools were developed there appears to have been the development of hand dexterity. An example of exaptation, which means ghe function arrives long before the need. Sounds like good planning:-"In a new study, a research team led by Yale University found that even the oldest known human ancestors may have had precision grip capabilities comparable to modern humans. This includes Australopithecus afarensis, which appears in the fossil record a million years before the first evidence of stone tools.-"Manual dexterity is traditionally viewed as a key adaptation that separated the earliest primates from other early mammals. It is thought that such abilities evolved in response to no longer needing hands for locomotion, as well as the mechanical demands of using tools.-"Yet there remains debate about the gripping capabilities of early fossil hominins, especially regarding the use of tools. The new study may shed light on some of those issues. For instance, the study suggests that the early human species Australopithecus afarensis may have had greater dexterity than what was required for cutting with a stone, including manipulative and tool-related behaviors that may not have been preserved in the archaeological record."-http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150420144402.htm