(no subject)

National Geographic on the Dikika Australopithecus girl. At one point they mention a consequence of not having thumbs on your feet:

As apelike feet evolved to support and propel an upright body, they could no longer grasp objects with a thumb-like big toe, as the feet of chimps and other apes can. For hominin mothers and infants, the consequences were momentous: While chimp babies cling to their mothers' hair with muscular hands and grasping toes, a baby hominin probably had to be carried, limiting the mother's ability to provide for herself.

The interesting thing is that, even after millions of years of being limited to two hands and probably having less to grab, the baby instinct to grab onto a parent's chest fur is still extremely strong. I have just enough on me that Jorie can get a painful grip.