| Title |
Early Origin for Human-Like Precision Grasping: A Comparative Study of Pollical Distal Phalanges in Fossil Hominins
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, July 2010
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0011727 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Sergio Almécija, Salvador Moyà-Solà, David M. Alba |
| Abstract |
The morphology of human pollical distal phalanges (PDP) closely reflects the adaptation of human hands for refined precision grip with pad-to-pad contact. The presence of these precision grip-related traits in the PDP of fossil hominins has been related to human-like hand proportions (i.e. short hands with a long thumb) enabling the thumb and finger pads to contact. Although this has been traditionally linked to the appearance of stone tool-making, the alternative hypothesis of an earlier origin--related to the freeing of the hands thanks to the advent of terrestrial bipedalism--is also possible given the human-like intrinsic hand proportion found in australopiths. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 146 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 5 | 3% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | <1% |
| Germany | 1 | <1% |
| Belgium | 1 | <1% |
| Canada | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 137 | 94% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 31 | 21% |
| Student > Bachelor | 23 | 16% |
| Student > Master | 19 | 13% |
| Researcher | 18 | 12% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 7 | 5% |
| Other | 30 | 21% |
| Unknown | 18 | 12% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 46 | 32% |
| Arts and Humanities | 19 | 13% |
| Social Sciences | 15 | 10% |
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 7 | 5% |
| Engineering | 6 | 4% |
| Other | 25 | 17% |
| Unknown | 28 | 19% |