2003/01/01 by Richard W. Young · 3 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Neuroscience · Engineering · #Congenital limb and hand anomalies #Hemispheric Asymmetry in Neuroscience #Throwing #Computer science #Data science #Computational biology #Bioinformatics #Artificial intelligence #Biology #Engineering #Aeronautics
paper · doi:10.1046/j.1469-7580.2003.00144.x
openalex publication_date 2003/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/19
It has been proposed that the hominid lineage began when a group of chimpanzee-like apes began to throw rocks and swing clubs at adversaries, and that this behaviour yielded reproductive advantages for millions of years, driving natural selection for improved throwing and clubbing prowess. This assertion leads to the prediction that the human hand should be adapted for throwing and clubbing, a topic that is explored in the following report. It is shown that the two fundamental human handgrips, first identified by J. R. Napier, and named by him the 'precision grip' and 'power grip', represent a throwing grip and a clubbing grip, thereby providing an evolutionary explanation for the two unique grips, and the extensive anatomical remodelling of the hand that made them possible. These results are supported by palaeoanthropological evidence.