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Related Concept Videos

Brick Cutting Techniques01:08

Brick Cutting Techniques

182
Brick-cutting techniques involve various tools and methods to shape bricks for construction. A mason's hammer with a chisel-pointed end is used for basic shaping through sharp, precise strikes. For more complex shapes requiring higher precision, a power saw with a water-cooled diamond blade is used.
Cut bricks are categorized by size. Bricks cut to half their original length are called half-bats, while those cut to three-fourths their length are known as three-fourth bats.
Special types of...
182

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Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates
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Captive bonobos (Pan paniscus) apply precision grips when using flaked stone tools.

Adela Cebeiro1, Alastair Key2

  • 1Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, USA.

American Journal of Biological Anthropology
|May 23, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Early hominins may have possessed the manual dexterity for stone tool use much earlier than previously thought. Studies on bonobos suggest they can perform precision grips necessary for flake tools, challenging anatomical limitations as a reason for delayed tool emergence.

Keywords:
chimpanzeegripping forcehandhominin evolutionmanual capabilitytool use

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Area of Science:

  • Paleoanthropology
  • Primate Behavior
  • Archaeology

Background:

  • Current understanding places the emergence of flaked stone tool technologies around 3.3-2.6 million years ago.
  • It is hypothesized that early hominin manual anatomy was not sufficiently evolved for the precise grips required for early tool manufacture and use.
  • Previous observations in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) suggested the capability for forceful pad-to-side precision grips during feeding behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the manual grips used by bonobos (Pan paniscus) when interacting with stone and organic tools.
  • Specifically, to determine if bonobos can recruit the necessary precision grips for using flake stone tools in cutting tasks.

Main Methods:

  • Four captive, human-trained bonobos were observed using various tools, including flake stone tools.
  • Grips employed during cutting behaviors with flake tools were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Bonobos frequently utilized pad-to-side precision grips when handling stone flakes for cutting.
  • The observed grips indicate the potential to resist and apply significant forces using the thumb and fingers.

Conclusions:

  • These findings suggest that early hominins, including Australopithecus, may have possessed the anatomical capability for the precision grips needed to effectively use flake stone tools.
  • Manual anatomy might not be the primary limiting factor for the emergence of the earliest stone tool technologies.
  • The ability to benefit from processing food resources with early stone tools may have been anatomically feasible for pre-Early Stone Age hominins.