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'Nutcracker Man' Fossils Suggest Multiple Species Made Tools
- On Wednesday, Louise Leakey and colleagues reported the first hand and foot bones unambiguously associated with Paranthropus boisei from KNM-ER 101000 at Koobi Fora, Lake Turkana, Kenya.
- For more than half a century, researchers have debated whether Paranthropus boisei, known mainly from skulls and teeth, could make stone tools while living in eastern Africa from 1.3 million to 2.6 million years ago alongside Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis and Homo erectus.
- Comparisons with gorilla and human hands reveal Paranthropus boisei’s hand anatomy combined a long robust thumb, short straight fingers and dexterous pinkie, enabling precision and power, Dr. Caley Orr said.
- Researchers say the find raises the possibility that Oldowan toolkits could have been made by Paranthropus boisei rather than Homo, and Dr. Matt Tocheri said, "This fossil evidence effectively ends that debate."
- In the broader evolutionary timeline, Paranthropus boisei diverged from a common australopith ancestor more than 3 million years ago, while Oldowan tools predate it, suggesting multiple hominins could have made early tools.
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The study concluded that the hands of the first human beings, the Paranthropus boisei, share characteristics with both modern humans and African macaws.
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The first known fossils of the hand of an extinct human relative were unearthed in Kenya, revealing a species with unexpected dexterity and a gorilla-like grip.
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Total News Sources32
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center14Last UpdatedBias Distribution70% Center
Bias Distribution
- 70% of the sources are Center
70% Center
L 25%
C 70%
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