Did modern human carpal morphology evolve from knuckle walking traits?

Abstract Hominin forelimbs have evolved from primarily locomotive to manipulative appendages over approximately 6 million years. As such, hand functions in fossil hominins and the Pan–Homo last common ancestor (LCA) are intensely debated, with carpal morphology central to this debate. However, owing to their irregular and challenging shapes, few studies have comprehensively quantified carpal morphology. We analyse the overall carpal morphology of anthropoids, including fossil hominins, using sph