Lucy: Early Tool Use Traced Back Over 3 Million Years
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Livescience.com
A new study suggests that australopithecines, including the famous Lucy, may have used tools over 3 million years ago, based on analysis of hand muscle attachment sites. This research indicates that these early hominins had the dexterity for tool manipulation, challenging previous assumptions that tool use began with the Homo genus. The study highlights the evolutionary development of hand dexterity, particularly in species like Australopithecus sediba, which had more humanlike hand features compared to earlier australopithecines.