An oldie from 2015: Human hands are “more primitive” than chimp hands

Human hands are comparatively anatomically primitive:

The human hand is a marvel of dexterity. It can thread a needle, coax intricate melodies from the keys of a piano, and create lasting works of art with a pen or a paintbrush. Many scientists have assumed that our hands evolved their distinctive proportions over millions of years of recent evolution. But a new study suggests a radically different conclusion: Some aspects of the human hand are actually anatomically primitive—more so even than that of many other apes, including our evolutionary cousin the chimpanzee. The findings have important implications for the origins of human toolmaking, as well as for what the ancestor of both humans and chimps might have looked like.

Michael Balter, “Michael Balter” at Science (July 14, 2015)

When we consider the difference in manual achievement, isn’t that a further argument for human exceptionalism?

See also: Human evolution at your fingertips

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