Journal article
Samar M Syeda, Christopher J. Dunmore, Matthew M Skinner, Lee R. Berger, S. Churchill, Bernhard Zipfel, T. Kivell
Science Advances, 2025
Science Advances, 2025
Semantic Scholar
DOI
PubMedCentral
PubMed
Cite
Cite
APA
Click to copy
Syeda, S. M., Dunmore, C. J., Skinner, M. M., Berger, L. R., Churchill, S., Zipfel, B., & Kivell, T. (2025). Phalangeal cortical bone distribution reveals different dexterous and climbing behaviors in Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi. Science Advances.
Chicago/Turabian
Click to copy
Syeda, Samar M, Christopher J. Dunmore, Matthew M Skinner, Lee R. Berger, S. Churchill, Bernhard Zipfel, and T. Kivell. “Phalangeal Cortical Bone Distribution Reveals Different Dexterous and Climbing Behaviors in Australopithecus Sediba and Homo Naledi.” Science Advances (2025).
MLA
Click to copy
Syeda, Samar M., et al. “Phalangeal Cortical Bone Distribution Reveals Different Dexterous and Climbing Behaviors in Australopithecus Sediba and Homo Naledi.” Science Advances, 2025.
BibTeX Click to copy
@article{samar2025a,
title = {Phalangeal cortical bone distribution reveals different dexterous and climbing behaviors in Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi},
year = {2025},
journal = {Science Advances},
author = {Syeda, Samar M and Dunmore, Christopher J. and Skinner, Matthew M and Berger, Lee R. and Churchill, S. and Zipfel, Bernhard and Kivell, T.}
}
Abstract
The evolution of the human hand is marked by a transition from a hand primarily used for locomotion to one primarily used for dexterous manipulation. The hand skeletons of Plio-Pleistocene hominins have different mosaics of human-like features associated with enhanced dexterity and ape-like features associated with locomotor hand use. However, the functional relevance of the ape-like features is debated, particularly due to a lack of complete and associated hand remains. Here, we investigate the internal phalangeal cortical structure of the nearly complete Australopithecus sediba MH2 hand and Homo naledi hand 1 to provide both insight into the manual behaviors of these fossil hominins and functional clarity regarding the mosaic features found within their hands. The phalangeal cortical structure demonstrates diversity in Plio-Pleistocene hand use, with A. sediba and H. naledi each indicating different dexterous abilities and different climbing strategies, supporting the functional importance of the ape-like features.