title: Biomechanics of microliths manufacture: a preliminary approach to Neanderthal's motor constrains in the frame of embodied cognition.
abstract: The systems of perception and action of the brain appear as important constraining factors in human evolution under current models of embodied cognition. In this view, the emergence of certain items in the archeological record is not necessarily subsequent to the emergence of a 'symbolic' mind, but instead to the appearance of the sensory-motor systems enabling that behavior. One of the products normally absent in pre- Homo sapiens species is the standardized microlith, whose production seems very demanding for the hand due to their small size and need for fine craft. In the present study, we provide preliminary empirical evidence that the biomechanical requirements of microliths manufacture made this industry difficult to achieve by Neanderthals. The biomechanical parameters of the human hand in the manufacture of microliths are here explored in two individuals with different degrees of expertise. The figures obtained in this manner are subsequently contrasted and extrapolated to Neanderthal's hand anthropometric data, as obtained from the available literature. Results indicate that Neanderthals would exhibit lower efficiency than modern humans as a consequence of their smaller hands and shorter arms, resulting in a smaller area to distribute forces and an increased mechanical stress in the microlith manufacturing processes. This might be a plausibly contributing factor for precluding microlith production in Neanderthals on noticeable scales, in consonance with the archeological record.
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, UCM-ISCIII, Monforte de Lemos, 5, Pabellón 14, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Francia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Patiño
authors.affiliation: Paleorama, S.L. Avda. Pablo Picasso sn, 28320, Pinto, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luque
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Isabel I, C/ Fernán González, 76, 09003, Burgos, Spain.
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terradillos-Bernal
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Evolution and Behavior, UCM-ISCIII, Monforte de Lemos, 5, Pabellón 14, 28029, Madrid, Spain; Psychobiology Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain, mmartinloeches@edu.ucm.es.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martín-Loeches
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000885:Anthropology, Physical; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D059125:Neanderthals; D053001:Tool Use Behavior / Q000502:physiology*