From The Times
September 5, 2008
Mark Henderson
The human hand, a marvel of evolution that allows our species to use tools with unique dexterity, may owe its origin to changes in a critical genetic switch.
Research has identified passages of DNA that appear to be involved in forming the human thumb and big toe, which are important to the deft grip and upright posture that are among the defining features of Homo sapiens. These areas of the genome have altered markedly since the human family tree branched out from that of chimpanzees about 6 million years ago, and may be among the evolved genetic changes that formed our species.
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