Science a GoGo's Home Page Forums General Discussion General Science Discussion Forum Human style hand bone found in Africa

Phys.Org:Discovery of 1.4 million-year-old fossil human hand bone closes human evolution gap

The report describes a 1.4 million year old hand bone from the Turkana region of Africa. The importance of the discovery is that this is the oldest bone found so far that has a "styloid process, or projection of bone, at the end that connects to the wrist". The projection supports the finger so that it can apply more pressure when performing such tasks as shaping stones. Human ancestors had been using stone tools for at least a million years before this, but they had been the simpler oldowan type tools. Shortly before the time of this bone our ancestors started making the more complex Acheulian tools. So it appears that the development of the styloid process may have been what made it possible to make the new style tools.

Bill Gill

Interesting. I wonder which came first, the styloids or the Acheulian tools? Or does one depend on the other? Apparently having styloid processes has pretty good survival value, as it has persisted for millions of years. An interesting anatomical difference that separates us from the apes. Increasing complexity leads to increasingly complex behaviors. I wonder what other anatomical differences have led to subtle changes in our culture?