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Experts have been surprised by the recent discovery fossils From the hand of an extinct human relative, Paranthropus boisei. They have been surprised by the mixture of human-like and Gorilla-Symptoms in fingers like.
in the journal NatureResearchers have described a set of 1.5 million-year-old fossils from a site in Kenya that contain the first apparent Paranthropus hand bones identified in the fossil record. They are a very rare example of a relatively complete set of hand bones from this time.
The first example of Paranthropus was discovered in South Africa by Dr. Robert Broome in 1938. Its name means “next to man” and reflects the fact that its direct ancestor (known as Australopithecus) was shared with our own genus, Homo, but existed alongside early human lineagesBroome’s fossils belonged to the species Paranthropus robustus.
On the other hand, the species Paranthropus boisei was first discovered in 1959 by Mary and Louis Leakey in Olduvai Gorge, Kenya. Its huge mandible and teeth led to its nickname: The Nutcracker Man,
Supermolar teeth (where a non-molar tooth takes over as a molar) indicated a possible diet of tough and fibrous foods – almost certainly consisting of vegetation – that required extensive chewing.
Paranthropus was a bipedal hominin, like representatives of our own lineage, with a similar body shape. this also lived in dwellings similar to early HomoYet it became extinct about 800,000 years ago.
Essentially, these two hominin lineages have been compared in every possible way to identify which traits ensured the survival of Homo. Homo’s persistence is attributed to its large brain, small teeth, and meat-based diet.
Paranthropus, on the other hand, with its large teeth and small brain, is often presented as an evolutionary “also-ran” – not smart enough or adaptable enough to survive in a changing world.
However, there was little actual evidence for concrete differences in how Paranthropus used its body or its surroundings. So far.
New fossils from Kubi Fora on the eastern shore of Lake Turkana in Kenya show that Paranthropus boisei was not clumsy or poorly adapted to its lifestyle. The remains, dated to about 1.52 million years ago, include a partial skeleton containing bones of both hands and feet along with apparent P. boisei jaws and teeth.
For the first time, we can connect this species’ massive chewing apparatus to the limbs and hands that helped it function in ancient landscapes.
About the author
Sally Christine Reynolds is Associate Professor in Hominin Palaeoecology at Bournemouth University.
This article was first published by The Conversation and is republished under a Creative Commons license. read the original article,
The fingers are, in many ways, more like those of gorillas than those of humans, but the feet are more similar to Homo feet. In fact, the foot suggests that P. boisei was an adept biped, walking on arched, stiff feet that more closely resembled our feet than those of previous species like Australopithecus afarensis.
The big toe was aligned with the others, and the joints show the same upward inclination—called dorsal canting—that allows modern humans to push off powerfully while walking or running. A folded third metatarsal bone formed a transverse arch, an architectural feature that stiffens the human foot and turns it into a spring for energy-efficient movement.
The new discovery suggests a mix of both advanced and primitive features. It paints a picture of a creature capable of traversing the mixed open habitats of East Africa on two legs, moving confidently between feeding grounds and perhaps even carrying food or simple tools. The powerful hands would have been used to find food which required a strong grip.
It could be argued that Paranthropus was dragging itself into the trees. Until now, Paranthropus has not been thought of as a climber, nor as an animal associated exclusively with dense trees. It was thought that the cold climate and diminishing forests led to bipedalism in both Homo and Paranthropus.
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Yet there are clear differences with Homo. The toes of P. boisei were smaller than ours, suggesting a slightly different gait – perhaps a slower, heavier gait. The little toes were straighter and stiffer than those of apes but not as sophisticated as those of Homo sapiens. This mosaic anatomy shows that upright walking had already been perfected in many human relatives, even if each did it in its own way.
The foot of P. boisei shows that 1.5 million years ago, bipedalism was a shared basis rather than a unique advantage. Both Homo and Paranthropus walked for a long time; Their evolutionary paths differed not in speed but in lifestyle. While Homo relied more on brain power, tools, and cooperation, Paranthropus relied doubly on strength and chewing muscles. One lineage embraced resilience, another embraced endurance – and in the end, only one survived.
But this discovery also softens the old story of triumph and failure. Paranthropus boisei was not a “failed” hominin relative. It was a successful species in its own right, perfectly adapted to its ecological niche for over a million years.
New fossils remind us of humans Development It was not a straight march of progress, but an offshoot of experiments – some friendly-minded, others adventurous, all running straight under the same African sun.