Long thumb means big brain and it is “decisive” Human developmentResearch has found.
Scientist Studied 94 Fossils And living animals to understand how our Ancestors developed Their recreational capabilities.
Published in study magazine Communication biology, Saw primet species From lamers Niendarthal And found Brain co-developed With manual dexterity to help catch small objects.
“Big mind and skillful hands are considered important Human developmentPossible technology, culture and colonization of different environments simultaneously, ”said research writers.
Both humans and our extinct relatives claim exceptionally long thumbs and exceptionally big minds.
However, the link remains strong in all primates: when scientists removed human data from their analysis, the relationship between the thumb length and the shape of the brain remained.
The lead author of the University of Reading, Dr. Joana Baker said: “We always know that our big minds and agile fingers have separated us, but now we can see that they have not developed separately.
“As our ancestors did better in lifting and manipulating objects, their brain had to grow to handle these new skills. These abilities have been corrected through millions of years of brain development.”
In 41 Primate species tests, scientists found that people with long thumbs could move smaller objects more easily between their thumbs and finger, and also found that their brain size predicted how well they performed these tasks.
Scientists hoped that long -term thumb would be associated with the cerebellum – the part of the brain responsible for movement and coordination.
But instead, he found that long thumbs were associated with neocortex – a complex, layered area that takes half of the human brain. This area processes sensory information and handles cognition and consciousness.
These findings suggest that such as primates developed better manual skills to handle objects, their brain had to increase and use these new abilities effectively and use.
However, the study authors explain that only the length of the thumb cannot be used to identify the use of the equipment, with the brain and thumb -shaped relationship in all primates, whether they use the equipment.
The study authors wrote, “It is suggested by the suggestions that are hominine hand features, including long thumbs, before the origin of systematic equipment production,” the study is written by the authors.
“Our results do not support the idea that the length of the thumb is a sufficient morphological indicators of equipment-utilization-or in all primates. So we cannot make any conclusions about equipment-utilization in homeinine with our results.”
Authors say further work requires that it needs to be installed properly how neocortex manipulates the abilities to manipulate.
