Hand of Time

This glove might not be suitable winter wear, but it has the potential to reveal how your brain evolved. Around 2.5 million years ago, early man was wielding sharp stones as his most sophisticated tool. The progression from these rocks to the carefully crafted handmade axes some million years later represented a huge technological leap. The ‘data glove’ shown here tells us just how great a leap it was. Fitted with tiny sensors, it records the precise movements required to complete a physical task. Scientists asked a craftsman to faithfully replicate the two ancient tool-making techniques while wearing the glove. The resulting data revealed how intellectually demanding the tasks were, and support the belief that a huge boost in brain-power was needed to progress from rock to axe. These detailed data about our movements cast light on how our brain and body work together.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Anthony Lewis

Writer

Ant was the web editor in the early days of BPoD, and has since worked with the UK’s top science organisations as a writer and multimedia producer. He now splits his time between freelance work and managing multimedia at The Lancet.

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• Image courtesy of Aldo Faisal, Anastasia Sylaidi and colleagues
• Photograph by Tempest van Schaik
• Imperial College, London