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Related Concept Videos

Anatomical Movements00:51

Anatomical Movements

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Anatomical movements refer to the various actions or motions that can be performed by the body's joints and muscles. These movements are described using specific terms to provide a standardized way of discussing and understanding the range of motion at different joints.
Here are some common anatomical movements:
Flexion and extension motions are in the sagittal (anterior–posterior) plane of motion. These movements take place at the shoulder, hip, elbow, knee, wrist,...
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  1. Home
  3. Research Domains
  5. History, Heritage And Archaeology
  7. Archaeology
  9. Archaeological Science
  11. Humanlike Manual Activities In Australopithecus.
  1. Home
  3. Research Domains
  5. History, Heritage And Archaeology
  7. Archaeology
  9. Archaeological Science
  11. Humanlike Manual Activities In Australopithecus.

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Humanlike manual activities in Australopithecus.

Jana Kunze1, Katerina Harvati2, Gerhard Hotz3

  • 1Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Rümelinstraße 23, Tübingen D-72070, Germany.

Journal of Human Evolution
|October 4, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Early human hands show evidence of humanlike manipulation. Australopithecus sediba used hands similarly to later Homo, while A. africanus and A. afarensis had mixed manipulation patterns.

Keywords:
Early homininsEnthesesHand useManipulation

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Area of Science:

  • Paleoanthropology
  • Human Evolution
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Understanding early hominin hand use is crucial for deciphering biocultural evolution.
  • Previous studies focused on bone shape, limiting insights into habitual activities.
  • Muscle attachment sites (entheses) offer a more direct measure of lifetime biomechanical loading.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the manual entheseal patterns of Australopithecus afarensis, Australopithecus africanus, and Australopithecus sediba.
  • To infer habitual hand use in these early hominins by analyzing muscle attachment site proportions.

Main Methods:

  • Applied the entheses-based reconstruction of activity method to fossil hominin hands.
  • Analyzed muscle attachment site proportions on the thumb, fifth ray, and third intermediate phalanx.
  • Used a comparative sample of later Homo and great ape genera, with novel statistical procedures for size correction.

    • Main Results:

    • Australopithecus sediba exhibited entheseal patterns suggesting muscle activation similar to later Homo, indicative of humanlike manipulation.
    • Australopithecus africanus and Australopithecus afarensis displayed a mosaic pattern, combining humanlike and apelike manipulation indicators.
    • Key muscles of the first and fifth digits were important for the observed manipulation patterns.

    Conclusions:

    • Some australopith species, particularly A. sediba, engaged in habitual humanlike manipulation.
    • These findings suggest that humanlike hand use evolved earlier than previously thought.
    • While capable of humanlike manipulation, australopith manual dexterity was likely less refined than in later Homo.