Hand to mouth in a neandertal: right-handedness in Regourdou 1

We describe and analyze a Neandertal postcranial skeleton and dentition, which together show unambiguous signs of right-handedness. Asymmetries between the left and right upper arm in Regourdou 1 were identified nearly 20 years ago, then confirmed by more detailed analyses of the inner bone structur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2012-08, Vol.7 (8), p.e43949-e43949
Main Authors: Volpato, Virginie, Macchiarelli, Roberto, Guatelli-Steinberg, Debbie, Fiore, Ivana, Bondioli, Luca, Frayer, David W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Animals
Archaeology and Prehistory
Arm Bones
Asymmetry
Biology
Bones
Brain
Clavicle
Cranial sutures
Dentition
Earth Sciences
Fossils
Functional Laterality - physiology
Handedness
Hemispheric laterality
Hominids
Homo neanderthalensis
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humerus
Incisors
Mandible
Medicine
Neanderthals
Neanderthals - physiology
Physiological aspects
Radius
Shoulder
Skeleton
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Teeth
Tooth
Ulna
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Summary:We describe and analyze a Neandertal postcranial skeleton and dentition, which together show unambiguous signs of right-handedness. Asymmetries between the left and right upper arm in Regourdou 1 were identified nearly 20 years ago, then confirmed by more detailed analyses of the inner bone structure for the clavicle, humerus, radius and ulna. The total pattern of all bones in the shoulder and arm reveals that Regourdou 1 was a right-hander. Confirmatory evidence comes from the mandibular incisors, which display a distinct pattern of right oblique scratches, typical of right-handed manipulations performed at the front of the mouth. Regourdou's right handedness is consistent with the strong pattern of manual lateralization in Neandertals and further confirms a modern pattern of left brain dominance, presumably signally linguistic competence. These observations along with cultural, genetic and morphological evidence indicate language competence in Neandertals and their European precursors.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0043949