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Arlegi M, Lorenzo C. Evolutionary selection and morphological integration in the hand of modern humans. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024:e25024. [PMID: 39228137 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.25024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 08/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To enhance our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of the modern human hand by analyzing the degree of integration and ability to respond to selection pressures of each phalanx and metacarpal bone. MATERIALS AND METHODS The sample comprised 96 adult individuals, both female and male, from Euro-American, Afro-American, and European populations. We collected 10 linear measurements from the 19 metacarpals and proximal, middle, and distal phalanges that constitute the five digits of the hand. Using these data, we constructed variance/covariance matrices to quantify the degree of integration and assess the hand ability to respond to selective pressures. RESULTS Distal phalanges are the most evolvable and flexible elements, while being the least integrated and constrained. The thumb is similarly integrated as the second and third rays, while medial rays (fourth and fifth digits) are more integrated. However, the thumb presents different integration and response to selection patterns. No significant relationship was found between functionality and the indices of selection and integration. Finally, the correlation between hand and foot indices yielded significant results for conditional evolvability and flexibility. DISCUSSION The findings suggest different evolutionary trajectories for the metacarpal and distal phalanx in the modern human thumb, likely reflecting varying functional and developmental pressures. The first metacarpal, characterized by high flexibility and low evolvability, appears to have reached a stable, optimal morphology, under stabilizing selection. In contrast, the distal phalanx seems to have undergone directional evolution, suggesting specialization for a specific function. Comparisons between hands and feet suggest that these structures evolve differently under directional selection but similarly under stabilizing selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikel Arlegi
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Carlos Lorenzo
- Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Tarragona, Spain
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Syeda SM, Tsegai ZJ, Cazenave M, Skinner MM, Kivell TL. Cortical bone architecture of hominid intermediate phalanges reveals functional signals of locomotion and manipulation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24902. [PMID: 38400773 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Reconstruction of fossil hominin manual behaviors often relies on comparative analyses of extant hominid hands to understand the relationship between hand use and skeletal morphology. In this context, the intermediate phalanges remain understudied. Thus, here we investigate cortical bone morphology of the intermediate phalanges of extant hominids and compare it to the cortical structure of the proximal phalanges, to investigate the relationship between cortical bone structure and inferred loading during manual behaviors. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using micro-CT data, we analyze cortical bone structure of the intermediate phalangeal shaft of digits 2-5 in Pongo pygmaeus (n = 6 individuals), Gorilla gorilla (n = 22), Pan spp. (n = 23), and Homo sapiens (n = 23). The R package morphomap is used to study cortical bone distribution, cortical thickness and cross-sectional properties within and across taxa. RESULTS Non-human great apes generally have thick cortical bone on the palmar shaft, with Pongo only having thick cortex on the peaks of the flexor sheath ridges, while African apes have thick cortex along the entire flexor sheath ridge and proximal to the trochlea. Humans are distinct in having thicker dorsal shaft cortex as well as thick cortex at the disto-palmar region of the shaft. DISCUSSION Variation in cortical bone distribution and properties of the intermediate phalanges is consistent with differences in locomotor and manipulative behaviors in extant great apes. Comparisons between the intermediate and proximal phalanges reveals similar patterns of cortical bone distribution within each taxon but with potentially greater load experienced by the proximal phalanges, even in knuckle-walking African apes. This study provides a comparative context for the reconstruction of habitual hand use in fossil hominins and hominids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samar M Syeda
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Zewdi J Tsegai
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Marine Cazenave
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, USA
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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3
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Butovskaya ML, Rostovstseva VV, Mezentseva AA, Kavina A, Rizwan M, Shi Y, Vilimek V, Davletshin A. Cross-cultural perception of strength, attractiveness, aggressiveness and helpfulness of Maasai male faces calibrated to handgrip strength. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5880. [PMID: 38467751 PMCID: PMC10928163 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56607-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that Maasai and Europeans tend to align in their ratings of the physical strength and aggressiveness of Maasai male faces, calibrated to hand grip strength (HGS). However, perceptions of attractiveness of these faces differed among populations. In this study, three morphs of young Maasai men created by means of geometric morphometrics, and depicting the average sample and two extrema (± 4 SD of HGS), were assessed by men and women from Tanzania, Czech Republic, Russia, Pakistan, China, and Mexico (total sample = 1540). The aim of this study was to test cross-cultural differences in the perception of young Maasai men's composites calibrated to HGS, focusing on four traits: physical strength, attractiveness, aggressiveness, and helpfulness. Individuals from all six cultures were able to distinguish between low, medium, and high HGS portraits. Across all study populations, portrait of Maasai men with lower HGS was perceived as less attractive, more aggressive, and less helpful. This suggests that people from diverse populations share similar perceptions of physical strength based on facial shape, as well as attribute similar social qualities like aggressiveness and helpfulness to these facial images. Participants from all samples rated the composite image of weak Maasai men as the least attractive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina L Butovskaya
- Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect 32a, 119334, Moscow, Russia.
- National Research University, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Victoria V Rostovstseva
- Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect 32a, 119334, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna A Mezentseva
- Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect 32a, 119334, Moscow, Russia
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Bird EE, Kivell TL, Dunmore CJ, Tocheri MW, Skinner MM. Trabecular bone structure of the proximal capitate in extant hominids and fossil hominins with implications for midcarpal joint loading and the dart-thrower's motion. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:e24824. [PMID: 37493308 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This research examines whether the distribution of trabecular bone in the proximal capitates of extant hominids, as well as several fossil hominin taxa, is associated with the oblique path of the midcarpal joint known as the dart-thrower's motion (DTM). MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed proximal capitates from extant (Pongo n = 12; Gorilla n = 11; Pan n = 10; fossil and recent Homo sapiens n = 29) and extinct (Australopithecus sediba n = 2; Homo naledi n = 1; Homo floresiensis n = 2; Neandertals n = 3) hominids using a new canonical holistic morphometric analysis, which quantifies and visualizes the distribution of trabecular bone using relative bone volume as a fraction of total volume (rBV/TV). RESULTS Homo sapiens and Neandertals had a continuous band of high rBV/TV that extended across the scaphoid, lunate, and hamate subarticular regions, but other fossil hominins and extant great apes did not. A. sediba expressed a distinct combination of human-like and Pan-like rBV/TV distribution. Both H. floresiensis and H. naledi had high rBV/TV on the ulnar-side of the capitate but low rBV/TV on the radial-side. CONCLUSION The proximal capitates of H. sapiens and Neandertals share a distinctive distribution of trabecular bone that suggests that these two species of Homo regularly load(ed) their midcarpal joints along the full extent of the oblique path of the DTM. The observed pattern in A. sediba suggests that human-like stress at the capito-scaphoid articular surface was combined with Pan-like wrist postures, whereas the patterns in H. floresiensis and H. naledi suggest their midcarpal joints were loaded differently from that of H. sapiens and Neandertals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E Bird
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Christopher J Dunmore
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Matthew W Tocheri
- Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
- Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Bardo A, Dunmore CJ, Cornette R, Kivell TL. Morphological integration and shape covariation between the trapezium and first metacarpal among extant hominids. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:e24800. [PMID: 37377134 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The shape of the trapezium and first metacarpal (Mc1) markedly influence thumb mobility, strength, and the manual abilities of extant hominids. Previous research has typically focused solely on trapezium-Mc1 joint shape. Here we investigate how morphological integration and shape covariation between the entire trapezium (articular and non-articular surfaces) and the entire Mc1 reflect known differences in thumb use in extant hominids. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed shape covariation in associated trapezia and Mc1s across a large, diverse sample of Homo sapiens (n = 40 individuals) and other extant hominids (Pan troglodytes, n = 16; Pan paniscus, n = 13; Gorilla gorilla gorilla, n = 27; Gorilla beringei, n = 6; Pongo pygmaeus, n = 14; Pongo abelii, n = 9) using a 3D geometric morphometric approach. We tested for interspecific significant differences in degree of morphological integration and patterns of shape covariation between the entire trapezium and Mc1, as well as within the trapezium-Mc1 joint specifically. RESULTS Significant morphological integration was only found in the trapezium-Mc1 joint of H. sapiens and G. g. gorilla. Each genus showed a specific pattern of shape covariation between the entire trapezium and Mc1 that was consistent with different intercarpal and carpometacarpal joint postures. DISCUSSION Our results are consistent with known differences in habitual thumb use, including a more abducted thumb during forceful precision grips in H. sapiens and a more adducted thumb in other hominids used for diverse grips. These results will help to infer thumb use in fossil hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ameline Bardo
- Département Homme et Environnement, UMR 7194 - HNHP, CNRS-MNHN, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK
| | - Christopher J Dunmore
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- Institute of Systematic, Evolution, Biodiversity (ISYEB), UMR 7205-CNRS/MNHN/UPMC/EPHE, National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Tanner SB, Bardo A, Davies TW, Dunmore CJ, Johnston RE, Owen NJ, Kivell TL, Skinner MM. Variation and covariation of external shape and cross-sectional geometry in the human metacarpus. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:e24866. [PMID: 37929663 PMCID: PMC10952563 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Analyses of external bone shape using geometric morphometrics (GM) and cross-sectional geometry (CSG) are frequently employed to investigate bone structural variation and reconstruct activity in the past. However, the association between these methods has not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we analyze whole bone shape and CSG variation of metacarpals 1-5 and test covariation between them. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed external metacarpal shape using GM and CSG of the diaphysis at three locations in metacarpals 1-5. The study sample includes three modern human groups: crew from the shipwrecked Mary Rose (n = 35 metacarpals), a Pre-industrial group (n = 50), and a Post-industrial group (n = 31). We tested group differences in metacarpal shape and CSG, as well as correlations between these two aspects of metacarpal bone structure. RESULTS GM analysis demonstrated metacarpus external shape variation is predominately related to changes in diaphyseal width and articular surface size. Differences in external shape were found between the non-pollical metacarpals of the Mary Rose and Pre-industrial groups and between the third metacarpals of the Pre- and Post-industrial groups. CSG results suggest the Mary Rose and Post-industrial groups have stronger metacarpals than the Pre-industrial group. Correlating CSG and external shape showed significant relationships between increasing external robusticity and biomechanical strength across non-pollical metacarpals (r: 0.815-0.535; p ≤ 0.05). DISCUSSION Differences in metacarpal cortical structure and external shape between human groups suggest differences in the type and frequency of manual activities. Combining these results with studies of entheses and kinematics of the hand will improve reconstructions of manual behavior in the past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel B. Tanner
- School of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
| | - Ameline Bardo
- School of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
- UMR 7194 ‐ Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP)CNRS‐Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
| | - Thomas W. Davies
- School of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
- Department of Human OriginsMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | | | - Richard E. Johnston
- Advanced Imaging of Materials (AIM) Facility, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Bay CampusSwansea UniversitySwanseaUK
| | - Nicholas J. Owen
- Applied Sports Technology Exercise and Medicine Research Centre (A‐STEM), School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Bay CampusSwansea UniversitySwanseaUK
| | - Tracy L. Kivell
- School of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
- Department of Human OriginsMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
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Mika A, Lierenz J, Smith A, Buchanan B, Walker RS, Eren MI, Bebber MR, Key A. Hafted technologies likely reduced stone tool-related selective pressures acting on the hominin hand. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15582. [PMID: 37730739 PMCID: PMC10511494 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42096-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolution of the hominin hand has been widely linked to the use and production of flaked stone tool technologies. After the earliest handheld flake tools emerged, shifts in hominin hand anatomy allowing for greater force during precision gripping and ease when manipulating objects in-hand are observed in the fossil record. Previous research has demonstrated how biometric traits, such as hand and digit lengths and precision grip strength, impact functional performance and ergonomic relationships when using flake and core technologies. These studies are consistent with the idea that evolutionary selective pressures would have favoured individuals better able to efficiently and effectively produce and use flaked stone tools. After the advent of composite technologies during the Middle Stone Age and Middle Palaeolithic, fossil evidence reveals differences in hand anatomy between populations, but there is minimal evidence for an increase in precision gripping capabilities. Furthermore, there is little research investigating the selective pressures, if any, impacting manual anatomy after the introduction of hafted composite stone technologies ('handles'). Here we investigated the possible influence of tool-user biometric variation on the functional performance of 420 hafted Clovis knife replicas. Our results suggest there to be no statistical relationships between biometric variables and cutting performance. Therefore, we argue that the advent of hafted stone technologies may have acted as a 'performance equaliser' within populations and removed (or reduced) selective pressures favouring forceful precision gripping capabilities, which in turn could have increased the relative importance of cultural evolutionary selective pressures in the determination of a stone tool's performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Mika
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DZ, UK.
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44224, USA.
| | - Julie Lierenz
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44224, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Andrew Smith
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44224, USA
| | - Briggs Buchanan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA
| | - Robert S Walker
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, 65211, USA
| | - Metin I Eren
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44224, USA
- Department of Archaeology, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Michelle R Bebber
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44224, USA
| | - Alastair Key
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DZ, UK
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Condemi S, Panuel M, Chaumoitre K, Belcastro MG, Pietrobelli A, Voisin JL. A pathological Neandertal thumb phalanx from Moula-Guercy (France). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2023; 42:14-17. [PMID: 37354658 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To discuss a Neandertal pathological adult first pollical proximal phalanx (I2-104) from the Baume de Moula-Guercy (Ardèche, France) and evaluate the possible causes of this pathology. METHODS Macroscopic analyses of external features, as well as CT imaging, were used in the analysis RESULTS: The presence of asymmetric eburnation on the distal epiphysis associated with an osteophyte on the palmar surface, as well as the absence of periosteal bone reaction visible on CT images, is consistent with osteoarthritis. CONCLUSION Osteoarthritis (OA) can have different origins and the cause is difficult to identify. The pathology of the Moula-Guercy I2-104 phalanx may be due to a genetic predisposition for OA known in Neandertals and associated with short limb bones. The OA could have been aggravated by the age of this individual and by an inflammatory reaction caused by repeated movements and intense vibrations provoked by high-frequency knapping or by other use of the hands SIGNIFICANCE: The I2-104 phalanx is the first Neandertal pollical phalanx known to display OA, although joints of this bone are frequently affected by this pathology in modern humans. Thus, greater insight into the presence and consequences of Neandertal behaviors is offered LIMITATION: It is impossible to give a definitive conclusion on the cause(s) of the OA in this case. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH More data is needed concerning OA within Neandertals and its relationship with behavior and genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Condemi
- UMR 7268 ADES, Aix-Marseille Université/EFS/CNRS, Faculté de Médecine - La Timone, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France.
| | - Michel Panuel
- UMR 7268 ADES, Aix-Marseille Université/EFS/CNRS, Faculté de Médecine - La Timone, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France
| | - Kathia Chaumoitre
- UMR 7268 ADES, Aix-Marseille Université/EFS/CNRS, Faculté de Médecine - La Timone, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France
| | - Maria Giovanna Belcastro
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Via Selmi 3, Bologna, Italy
| | - Annalisa Pietrobelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Via Selmi 3, Bologna, Italy
| | - Jean-Luc Voisin
- UMR 7268 ADES, Aix-Marseille Université/EFS/CNRS, Faculté de Médecine - La Timone, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France.
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Vanhoof MJM, Croquet B, De Groote I, Vereecke EE. Principal component and linear discriminant analyses for the classification of hominoid primate specimens based on bone shape data. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230950. [PMID: 37736524 PMCID: PMC10509576 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we tested the hypothesis that machine learning methods can accurately classify extant primates based on triquetrum shape data. We then used this classification tool to observe the affinities between extant primates and fossil hominoids. We assessed the discrimination accuracy for an unsupervised and supervised learning pipeline, i.e. with principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) feature extraction, when tasked with the classification of extant primates. The trained algorithm is used to classify a sample of known fossil hominoids. For the visualization, PCA and uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) are used. The results show that the discriminant function correctly classified the extant specimens with an F1-score of 0.90 for both PCA and LDA. In addition, the classification of fossil hominoids reflects taxonomy and locomotor behaviour reported in literature. This classification based on shape data using PCA and LDA is a powerful tool that can discriminate between the triquetrum shape of extant primates with high accuracy and quantitatively compare fossil and extant morphology. It can be used to support taxonomic differentiation and aid the further interpretation of fossil remains. Further testing is necessary by including other bones and more species and specimens per species extinct primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie J. M. Vanhoof
- Department of Development & Regeneration, Biomedical Sciences Group, KU Leuven Campus Kulak, Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Balder Croquet
- Medical Imaging Research Center, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Electrical Engineering, ESAT/PSI, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Isabelle De Groote
- Department of Archaeology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Paleoecology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Evie E. Vereecke
- Department of Development & Regeneration, Biomedical Sciences Group, KU Leuven Campus Kulak, Kortrijk, Belgium
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de Sousa AA, Beaudet A, Calvey T, Bardo A, Benoit J, Charvet CJ, Dehay C, Gómez-Robles A, Gunz P, Heuer K, van den Heuvel MP, Hurst S, Lauters P, Reed D, Salagnon M, Sherwood CC, Ströckens F, Tawane M, Todorov OS, Toro R, Wei Y. From fossils to mind. Commun Biol 2023; 6:636. [PMID: 37311857 PMCID: PMC10262152 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04803-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Fossil endocasts record features of brains from the past: size, shape, vasculature, and gyrification. These data, alongside experimental and comparative evidence, are needed to resolve questions about brain energetics, cognitive specializations, and developmental plasticity. Through the application of interdisciplinary techniques to the fossil record, paleoneurology has been leading major innovations. Neuroimaging is shedding light on fossil brain organization and behaviors. Inferences about the development and physiology of the brains of extinct species can be experimentally investigated through brain organoids and transgenic models based on ancient DNA. Phylogenetic comparative methods integrate data across species and associate genotypes to phenotypes, and brains to behaviors. Meanwhile, fossil and archeological discoveries continuously contribute new knowledge. Through cooperation, the scientific community can accelerate knowledge acquisition. Sharing digitized museum collections improves the availability of rare fossils and artifacts. Comparative neuroanatomical data are available through online databases, along with tools for their measurement and analysis. In the context of these advances, the paleoneurological record provides ample opportunity for future research. Biomedical and ecological sciences can benefit from paleoneurology's approach to understanding the mind as well as its novel research pipelines that establish connections between neuroanatomy, genes and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Évolution, Paléoécosystèmes et Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), UMR 7262 CNRS & Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
- University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Tanya Calvey
- Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Ameline Bardo
- UMR 7194, CNRS-MNHN, Département Homme et Environnement, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Julien Benoit
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Christine J Charvet
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Colette Dehay
- University of Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, F-69500, Bron, France
| | | | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katja Heuer
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité de Neuroanatomie Appliquée et Théorique, F-75015, Paris, France
| | | | - Shawn Hurst
- University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Pascaline Lauters
- Institut royal des Sciences naturelles, Direction Opérationnelle Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Denné Reed
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Mathilde Salagnon
- CNRS, CEA, IMN, GIN, UMR 5293, Université Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- PACEA UMR 5199, CNRS, Université Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Felix Ströckens
- C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Mirriam Tawane
- Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Orlin S Todorov
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Roberto Toro
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité de Neuroanatomie Appliquée et Théorique, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Yongbin Wei
- Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing, China
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11
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Trabecular bone ontogeny tracks neural development and life history among humans and non-human primates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2208772119. [PMID: 36459637 PMCID: PMC9894110 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2208772119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Trabecular bone-the spongy bone inside marrow cavities-adapts to its mechanical environment during growth and development. Trabecular structure can therefore be interpreted as a functional record of locomotor behavior in extinct vertebrates. In this paper, we expand upon traditional links between form and function by situating ontogenetic trajectories of trabecular bone in four primate species into the broader developmental context of neural development, locomotor control, and ultimately life history. Our aim is to show that trabecular bone structure provides insights into ontogenetic variation in locomotor loading conditions as the product of interactions between increases in body mass and neuromuscular maturation. Our results demonstrate that age-related changes in trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) are strongly and linearly associated with ontogenetic changes in locomotor kinetics. Age-related variation in locomotor kinetics and BV/TV is in turn strongly associated with brain and body size growth in all species. These results imply that age-related variation in BV/TV is a strong proxy for both locomotor kinetics and neuromuscular maturation. Finally, we show that distinct changes in the slope of age-related variation in bone volume fraction correspond to the age of the onset of locomotion and the age of locomotor maturity. Our findings compliment previous studies linking bone development to locomotor mechanics by providing a fundamental link to brain development and life history. This implies that trabecular structure of fossil subadults can be a proxy for the rate of neuromuscular maturation and major life history events like locomotor onset and the achievement of adult-like locomotor repertoires.
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12
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New evidence of Neandertal butchery traditions through the marrow extraction in southwestern Europe (MIS 5–3). PLoS One 2022; 17:e0271816. [PMID: 35976853 PMCID: PMC9385001 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Long bone breakage for bone marrow recovery is a commonly observed practice in Middle Palaeolithic contexts, regardless of the climatic conditions. While lithic technology is largely used to define cultural patterns in human groups, despite dedicating research by zooarchaeologists, for now butchering techniques rarely allowed the identification of clear traditions, notably for ancient Palaeolithic periods. In this paper, we test the hypothesis of butchery traditions among Neandertal groupsusing the bone assemblages from three sites in southwestern Europe. These sites are located in southeastern France and northern Italy and are dated to the Late Middle Palaeolithic: Abri du Maras (Marine Isotopic Stages (MIS) 4–3, Ardèche), Saint-Marcel (MIS 3, Ardèche), and Riparo Tagliente (MIS 4–3, Verona). The detection of culturally-induced patterns of bone breakage involves differentiating them from intuitively generated patterns. To tackle this issue, we used a zooarchaeological approach focusing on the percussion marks produced during the bone breakage process. Statistical analyses as the chi-square test of independence were employed to verify if percussion mark locations were randomly distributed, and if these distributions were different from the intuitive ones. For femurs and humeri, our results demonstrate that Neandertal groups occupying the Abri du Maras (levels 4.1 and 4.2) and the Saint-Marcel Cave (levels g and h) sites in France applied butchery traditions to recover yellow marrow. However, the traditions developed at each site were different. On the contrary, in Riparo Tagliente, in Italy, several groups or individuals of a same group did not share the same butchery traditions over time. Regarding the Abri du Maras and Saint Marcel Cave assemblages, our research demonstrates that Neandertal groups applied intense standardized bone breakage, far from the intuitive practice observed experimentally and related to bone density and/or skeletal morphology. These standardized patterns, which are systematic and counter-intuitive, can be interpreted as culturally induced for the Abri du Maras and Saint Marcel Cave. The diversity of Neandertal traditions should be considered by taking into account the butchery, in particular the practice of bone marrow extraction, and not only technological behaviours and types of tool kits.
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13
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Masi S, Pouydebat E, San-Galli A, Meulman E, Breuer T, Reeves J, Tennie C. Free hand hitting of stone-like objects in wild gorillas. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11981. [PMID: 35840637 PMCID: PMC9287431 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15542-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The earliest stone tool types, sharp flakes knapped from stone cores, are assumed to have played a crucial role in human cognitive evolution. Flaked stone tools have been observed to be accidentally produced when wild monkeys use handheld stones as tools. Holding a stone core in hand and hitting it with another in the absence of flaking, free hand hitting, has been considered a requirement for producing sharp stone flakes by hitting stone on stone, free hand percussion. We report on five observations of free hand hitting behavior in two wild western gorillas, using stone-like objects (pieces of termite mound). Gorillas are therefore the second non-human lineage primate showing free-hand hitting behavior in the wild, and ours is the first report for free hand hitting behavior in wild apes. This study helps to shed light on the morphofunctional and cognitive requirements for the emergence of stone tool production as it shows that a prerequisite for free hand percussion (namely, free hand hitting) is part of the spontaneous behavioral repertoire of one of humans' closest relatives (gorillas). However, the ability to combine free hand hitting with the force, precision, and accuracy needed to facilitate conchoidal fracture in free hand percussion may still have been a critical watershed for hominin evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelly Masi
- Eco-Anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Musée de l'Homme 17 place du Trocadéro, 75016, Paris, France.
| | - Emmanuelle Pouydebat
- Department Adaptations du Vivant, UMR7179 MECADEV CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 55 rue Buffon, Paris, France
| | - Aurore San-Galli
- Eco-Anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Musée de l'Homme 17 place du Trocadéro, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Ellen Meulman
- Eco-Anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Musée de l'Homme 17 place du Trocadéro, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Breuer
- Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY, 10460, USA
- World Wide Fund for Nature - Germany, Reinhardstrasse 18, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jonathan Reeves
- Department for Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, 72070, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Claudio Tennie
- Department for Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, 72070, Tübingen, Germany
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14
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van Heteren AH, Friess M, Détroit F, Balzeau A. Covariation of proximal finger and toe phalanges in Homo sapiens: A novel approach to assess covariation of serially corresponding structures. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 177:471-488. [PMID: 36787692 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES As hands and feet are serially repeated corresponding structures in tetrapods, the morphology of fingers and toes is expected to covary due to a shared developmental origin. The present study focuses on the covariation of the shape of proximal finger and toe phalanges of adult Homo sapiens to determine whether covariation is different in the first ray relative to the others, as its morphology is also different. MATERIAL AND METHODS Proximal phalanges of 76 individuals of unknown sex (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, and the Natural History Museum, London) were digitized using a surface scanner. Landmarks were positioned on 3D surface models of the phalanges. Generalized Procrustes analysis and two-block partial least squares (PLS) analyses were conducted. A novel landmark-based geometric morphometric approach focusing on covariation is based on a PCoA of the angles between PLS axes in morphospace. The results can be statistically evaluated. RESULTS The difference in PCo scores between the first and the other rays indicates that the integration between the thumb and the big toe is different from that between the lateral rays of the hand and foot. DISCUSSION We speculate that the results are possibly the evolutionary consequence of differential selection pressure on the big toe relative to the other toes related to the rise of bipedalism, which is proposed to have emerged very early in the hominin clade. In contrast, thumb morphology and its precision grip never ceased undergoing changes, suggesting less acute selection pressures related to the evolution of the precision grip.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneke H van Heteren
- PaleoFED Team, UMR 7194, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, 17, Place du Trocadéro, Paris, 75016, France
| | - Martin Friess
- Éco-Anthropologie, UMR 7206, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Université de Paris, Paris, 75016, France
| | - Florent Détroit
- PaleoFED Team, UMR 7194, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, 17, Place du Trocadéro, Paris, 75016, France
| | - Antoine Balzeau
- PaleoFED Team, UMR 7194, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, 17, Place du Trocadéro, Paris, 75016, France.,Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, Tervuren, 3080, Belgium
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15
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Saers JPP, Gordon AD, Ryan TM, Stock JT. Growth and development of trabecular structure in the calcaneus of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) reflects locomotor behavior, life history, and neuromuscular development. J Anat 2022; 241:67-81. [PMID: 35178713 PMCID: PMC9178394 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone structure dynamically adapts to its mechanical environment throughout ontogeny by altering the structure of trabecular bone, the three-dimensional mesh-like structure found underneath joint surfaces. Trabecular structure, then, can provide a record of variation in loading directions and magnitude; and in ontogenetic samples, it can potentially be used to track developmental shifts in limb posture. We aim to broaden the analysis of trabecular bone ontogeny by incorporating interactions between ontogenetic variation in locomotor repertoire, neuromuscular maturation, and life history. We examine the associations between these variables and age-related variation in trabecular structure in the calcaneus of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). We used high-resolution micro-computed tomography scanning to image the calcaneus in a cross-sectional sample of 34 juvenile M. fuscata aged between 0 and 7 years old at the Primate Research Institute, Japan. We calculated whole bone averages of standard trabecular properties and generated whole-bone morphometric maps of bone volume fraction and Young's modulus. Trabecular structure becomes increasingly heterogeneous in older individuals. Bone volume fraction (BV/total volume [TV]) decreases during the first month of life and increases afterward, coinciding with the onset of independent locomotion in M. fuscata. At birth, primary Young's modulus is oriented orthogonal to the ossification center, but after locomotor onset bone structure becomes stiffest in the direction of joint surfaces and muscle attachments. Age-related variation in bone volume fraction is best predicted by an interaction between the estimated percentage of adult brain size, body mass, and locomotor onset. To explain our findings, we propose a model where interactions between age-related increases in body weight and maturation of the neuromuscular system alter the loading environment of the calcaneus, to which the internal trabecular structure dynamically adapts. This model cannot be directly tested based on our cross-sectional data. However, confirmation of the model by longitudinal experiments and in multiple species would show that trabecular structure can be used both to infer behavior from fossil morphology and serve as a valuable proxy for neuromuscular maturation and life history events like locomotor onset and the achievement of an adult-like gait. This approach could significantly expand our knowledge of the biology and behavior of fossil species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaap P P Saers
- Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Adam D Gordon
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Timothy M Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jay T Stock
- Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Anthropology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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16
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Bird EE, Kivell TL, Skinner MM. Patterns of internal bone structure and functional adaptation in the hominoid scaphoid, lunate, and triquetrum. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emma E. Bird
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | - Tracy L. Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
- Department of Human Evolution Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
| | - Matthew M. Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
- Department of Human Evolution Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
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17
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Get a Grip: Variation in Human Hand Grip Strength and Implications for Human Evolution. Symmetry (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/sym13071142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Although hand grip strength is critical to the daily lives of humans and our arboreal great ape relatives, the human hand has changed in form and function throughout our evolution due to terrestrial bipedalism, tool use, and directional asymmetry (DA) such as handedness. Here we investigate how hand form and function interact in modern humans to gain an insight into our evolutionary past. We measured grip strength in a heterogeneous, cross-sectional sample of human participants (n = 662, 17 to 83 years old) to test the potential effects of age, sex, asymmetry (hand dominance and handedness), hand shape, occupation, and practice of sports and musical instruments that involve the hand(s). We found a significant effect of sex and hand dominance on grip strength, but not of handedness, while hand shape and age had a greater influence on female grip strength. Females were significantly weaker with age, but grip strength in females with large hands was less affected than those with long hands. Frequent engagement in hand sports significantly increased grip strength in the non-dominant hand in both sexes, while only males showed a significant effect of occupation, indicating different patterns of hand dominance asymmetries and hand function. These results improve our understanding of the link between form and function in both hands and offer an insight into the evolution of human laterality and dexterity.
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