Human Hand Evolution

Our hands are of immense importance as they are one of the prime differences between humans and the other species of primates on this planet. The formation of the human hand has allowed the human species to prosper and evolve in many ways. The complex engineering behind the five digits on our hands, including fingers and thumb that work together, are what allows our species to carry out imperative tasks such as specific gripping, communication, and defense among further manipulative capabilities. (Io9.gizmodo.com, 2018) The evolution of the human hand has been the cause of great speculation and dispute since fossils of the human anatomy were first discovered and though the human hand differs significantly from that of its primitive relatives,

(ScienceDaily, 2018) This essay will include information on the differences between primitive and modern-day human hands, the distinctive structural aspects of the present day human hand and how they relate to tool making, and how evolution through selective breeding allowed for and led to the modification of the human hand.

It has long been projected that the hominid linage diverged from primitive chimpanzees around 6 million years ago (ScienceDaily, 2004). If this is the case, then why is there such a vast disparity between the human hand and that of the typical primate? According to the anthropologist Dr. Mary W. Marzke of the Arizona State University Department of Anthropology (2000), the characteristic that makes the human hand so particularly distinctive is the capability of being able to cup and securely clasp

A likely answer to this question lays in the article “Evolution of the human hand: the role of throwing and clubbing” (2003) by Richard W Young. Young states in his work that the use of stone tools as weapons and instruments for defense promoted reproductive success because it gave users of the tools an advantage over their opponents. The most capable weapon handlers were most likely the ones that had specific variations in the structures of their hands that would aid them during the use of those tools. Males in the hominid communities who were more aggressive and trained with stone tools such as clubs and throwing weapons, would be considered more dominant and would obtain access to a greater quantity of resources. Females in the hominid communities also possessing these hand variations would be able to protect themselves and their offspring’s using weaponry and would have a better chance of passing on these genetics. Since weapon-using males would be higher in the dominance hierarchy, they would be able to exert more power, govern other males, attain more food, and better protect the women and children. Females would find these attributes more appealing and as a result, the weapon-using males would be presented with more breeding opportunities thus furthering the selection of their genes generation after generation and ultimately altering the