Evolution: Human Hands May be Less Evolved Than Chimp Hands

Could a human's hand be more primitive than a chimp's? That may just be the case, according to new research. A new study reveals that human hands are actually less developed in terms of evolution than a chimp's hand.

Human hand proportions have changed very little from those of the last common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans. In fact, the human hand is largely primitive in nature, rather than the result of selective pressures in the context of stone tool-making.

Human hands have a long thumb in relation to the fingers. This is one of the most distinctive features that we have in comparison to apes. In fact, it's often cited as one of the reasons for the success of our species. However, there are competing theories on how the human hand evolved over time.

In this latest study, the researchers measured the hand proportions of humans, living and fossil apes as well as the fossils of human ancestors. This allowed them to get a better understanding at the process of hand evolution over time.

So what did they find? It turns out that there was more recent, convergent evolution of finger elongation in chimps and orangutans. However, there was comparatively little change between humans, human ancestors and gorillas.

The findings support the hypothesis that the long thumb to fingers ratio of the human hand was acquired convergently with other highly dexterous anthropods. The findings challenge the assumption that a chimp-like hand was the starting point of the first hand structure for the common ancestor of chimps and humans.

The findings are published in the journal Nature.

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