Paranthropus boisei was Capable of Tool Making, New Fossil Suggests
Paleoanthropologists have discovered and examined a partial hominid skeleton including hand and foot bones unambiguously associated with elements of the skull of Paranthropus boiseia species of primitive hominid that lived in East Africa between 2.3 and 1.2 million years ago. Their findings demonstrate that Paranthropus boisei shared key manipulative and bipedal adaptations with gender Homo. Additionally, the species’ hand morphology converges toward that of gorillas in a way that is consistent with manual food processing and would have facilitated powerful grasping, such as that used in rock climbing.
Paranthropus boisei. Image credit: © Roman Yevseyev.
It has long been assumed that the first members of the genus Homo stone tools made and used.
However, discoveries of 3.3 million year old stone tools at Lomekwi as well as 3 million year old Oldowan artifacts alongside a Paranthropist at Nyayanga, two sites in Kenya, have rekindled the debate on the possible use of tools in other species.
“When Mary Leakey discovered the OH 5 skull of Paranthropus boisei alongside Oldowan stone artifacts, it has been declared ‘the oldest stone tool maker ever discovered,'” said Dr. Carrie Mongle of Stony Brook University and colleagues.
“If Paranthropist The tools made and used have been the subject of debate ever since, largely because there are no known hand bones that can be definitively assigned to this genus.
In the new study, the authors examined a partial hominid skeleton recovered between 2019 and 2021 from Koobi Fora, on the eastern shore of Lake Turkana, Kenya.
Named KNM-ER 101000, the specimen is estimated to be just over 1.52 million years old.
The teeth and skull of the specimen match those of previously documented specimens. Paranthropus boisei fossils.
“KNM-ER 101000 includes the bones of the first hand and foot unambiguously associated with the teeth and skull of Paranthropus boisei“, the researchers said.
The hands of KNM-ER 101000 share features with those of modern humans and African apes.
For example, thumb-to-finger length proportions indicate that Paranthropus boisei had grip or dexterity similar to humans, but perhaps without precision pinching.
On the other hand, the other bones of the hands resemble those of gorillas, which could have given Paranthropus boisei a powerful grip that could have been useful for climbing.
“The results suggest that Paranthropus boisei was able to make and use tools to some extent while supporting the proposed dichotomy of distinct dietary adaptations between Paranthropist And Homo“said the scientists.
“In addition to providing insight into the poorly understood postcranial functional anatomy of ParanthropistThis discovery illuminates broader patterns of evolution of the hominid hand and tool use.
The results were published in a new article October 15 in the journal Nature.
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CS Mongle and others. New fossils reveal the hand of Paranthropus boisei. Naturepublished online October 15, 2025; doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09594-8
