A tiny bone from the little finger of a human ancestor that lived more than 1.84 million years ago in East Africa is the oldest "modern" hand bone ever found, say scientists.

This may not be the first appearance of the modern human hand, but we believe that it is close to the origin, given that we do not see this anatomy in any human fossils older than 1.8 million years.

Scientists have long linked the evolution of the human hand—unique for its lengthy opposable thumbs and dexterous fingers—to the rise of stone tools some 2.6 million years ago.

The discovery of a 1.4-million-year-old fossil of a hand bone reveals the modern human ability to make and use complex tools may be far older than previously thought, researchers say.

University of Kent. "Eating bone marrow played a key role in the evolution of the human hand." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 July 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2018 / 07 / 180711105725 ...

Scientists have found a new hand bone from a human ancestor who roamed the earth in East Africa approximately 1.42 million years ago. The discovery of this bone is the earliest evidence of a ...