Abstract
A nearly complete right hand of an adult hominin was recovered from the Rising Star cave system, South Africa. Based on associated hominin material, the bones of this hand are attributed to Homo naledi. This hand reveals a long, robust thumb and derived wrist morphology that is shared with Neandertals and modern humans, and considered adaptive for intensified manual manipulation. However, the finger bones are longer and more curved than in most australopiths, indicating frequent use of the hand during life for strong grasping during locomotor climbing and suspension. These markedly curved digits in combination with an otherwise human-like wrist and palm indicate a significant degree of climbing, despite the derived nature of many aspects of the hand and other regions of the postcranial skeleton in H. naledi.
Highlights
A longstanding palaeoanthropological debate concerns the degree to which arboreal climbing and suspension remained an important component of the early hominin behavioural repertoire
Most australopiths have thumb-finger length proportions estimated to be similar to humans[7,8,9], but with gracile pollical metacarpals (Mc1) that lack strong muscle attachments[11,12]
The curvatures of the pollical carpometacarpal articulation fall within the modern human range of variation, unlike the more curved facets of extant great apes and some other early hominins[13]
Summary
A longstanding palaeoanthropological debate concerns the degree to which arboreal climbing and suspension remained an important component of the early hominin behavioural repertoire. Missing only its pisiform (post mortem), this hand is part of the paratype of H. naledi and was recovered partially articulated with the palm up and fingers flexed (Fig. 1) This hand is small, similar in size to that of the Australopithecus sediba female MH2 Our comparative analyses reveal that the wrist and palm are generally most similar to those of Neandertals and modern humans, while the fingers are more curved than some australopiths. This distinctive mosaic of morphology has yet to be observed in any other hominin taxon and suggests the use of the hand for arboreal locomotion in combination with forceful precision manipulation typically used during tool-related behaviours
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
