CANTERBURY, ENGLAND—Gizmodo reports that Neanderthal thumbs may have been better suited to squeezing grips, rather than the precision grips employed by modern humans, according to a study conducted by Ameline Bardo of the University of Kent. Bardo and her colleagues created 3-D maps of the joints in five Neanderthal hands and wrists in order to investigate the ways Neanderthals could move their thumbs. The researchers then compared the Neanderthal thumbs to those of five early modern humans and 50 modern people. The study suggests that the base of the Neanderthal thumb was flatter than that of modern humans, and it had a smaller contact surface. This grip, Bardo said, would have helped Neanderthals haft stone tools or grip stones to use as hammers, but would have made it more difficult for them to handle tools requiring a strong, precise grip with the pads of the finger and thumb. “If you were to shake a Neanderthal hand you would notice this difference,” she added. “There would be confusion over where to place the thumb, and for a thumb fight I think you would win in terms of speed and movement.” Read the original scholarly article about this research in Scientific Reports. To read about a piece of cord fashioned by Neanderthals more than 40,000 years ago, go to "Twisted Neanderthal Tech."
