Sci Adv: The bigger the head, the more dexterous your hands are?

July 27, 2020 // --- People's hands are skilled, but it takes a long time to learn dexterity.
babies usually take about five months to purposefully grasp objects. it may take five to six years
learn more complex skills, such as eating with a fork and a knife or tying shoelaces.
by that age, many other primate species already have their own offspring.
why do we take longer to learn fine motor skills? To try to answer this question, evolutionary biologist Sandra Heldstab of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Zurich and her colleagues Karin Isler, Caroline Schuppli and Carel van Schaik observed 36 primate species over a period of more than seven years, from birth to adulthood.
surprised that all species learned their own manual skills in exactly the same order. "Our results suggest that neurodevelopment follows an extremely strict pattern, even in primates that vary widely in other areas," said
Heldstab.
" (photo: www.pixabay.com) However, the researchers found that adults from different primates varied widely in specific fine motor skills.
large-brained species, such as macaques, gorillas or chimpanzees, can solve more complex tasks with both hands than primates with cerebellums such as lemurs or mar monkeys. "It's no coincidence that we humans are so good at using hands and tools, and our brain capacity makes this possible," said
Heldstab.
" However, agility comes at a price: in a species with a brain like humans, it takes a long time for babies to learn the simplest hand and finger movements. "For example, it's not just because we're learning more complex skills than lemurs or Callitrichids," said
Heldstab.
mainly because we don't start learning these skills until very late.
researchers believe the reason may be that the larger human brain is underdeveloped at birth.
, learning takes time and is inefficient, and parents don't pay until their offspring become independent.
our study shows once again that in evolution, only mammals that have long lives and have enough learning time can develop large brains and have complex fine motor skills, including the ability to use tools.
this clearly explains why so few species can follow our path and why humans can become the most technologically advanced creatures on Earth.
" (Bioon.com) Source: Study: Big brains allow hands the original source: When ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny: Fixed neurodevelopmental saar of the action of the team, Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb4685.