Read, Watch or Listen

In Kenya’s Koobi Fora, researchers uncovered the first known hand fossils of Paranthropus boisei, linking the “Nutcracker Man” to specific hand and foot bones for the first time. The 1.52-million-year-old partial skeleton reveals a long thumb, straight fingers and a mobile pinkie—dexterous yet gorilla-like—suggesting powerful grips for processing tough plants and potential, though unproven, stone-tool use. Published in Nature, the study argues P. boisei walked upright with arched feet and likely shared habitats—but not niches—with Homo erectus, as footprints and anatomy hint at coexistence without direct competition.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.