DID TOOLS CHANGE MAN’S BODY?

DID TOOLS CHANGE MAN’S BODY? I am accustomed to think of Darwinian natural selection as reflecting the adaptation of a species to a changing natural environment. This article by Sarah Reardon in NewScientist reports on new evidence that evolution may have selected changes in the human body which enabled man to make better use of the tools he was already using. In particular, hand axes have been found that date from 1.7 million years ago. Says Reardon: “Before the hand axes appeared, our ancestors had primitive wrists: good for hanging from branches, but too weak to grasp and handle small objects with much force.” Now, a hand bone which would have made hands stronger has been discovered. It dates from about 1.4 million years ago. The stronger wrist would have provided an evolutionary advantage by making it easier to knock off flakes to form and sharpen better hand axes.

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