Scientists from Reading and Durham universities have discovered a surprising connection between the size of the brain and the length of the thumb In 95 species of primates. including people. Their research shows that The longer the thumbs, the larger the brain. According to the authors, fingers and brains have developed together over millions of years.
“When our ancestors have improved in grasping and handling objects, their brains had to grow to handle these new skills. These abilities have improved over millions of years of brain development,” said the chief author Dr. Joanna Baker. The analysis contained modern and extinct human species, as well as other contemporary and extinct primates. The research included chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, lemurs, tarsiera, paviány and orangutans.
“We have found a link between all kinds. This means that this relationship is consistent in all kinds, including the best known primates, including our own species,” adds a baker.
Scientists were surprised to find that longer thumbs were related to the growth of the cerebral cortex and not to the cerebellum as they expected. Neocortex is about half of the volume of the human brain and is involved not only in movement and coordination, but also in sensual processing, cognitive functions and consciousness. The team adds that further research is needed to clarify how precisely the neocortex supports handling capabilities.
