Invited talk: Interdisciplinary approach on the evolution of grasping & manipulation

The 7th meeting of the European Federation for Primatology (EFP) took place in Strasbourg (France) in August 2017. It was an inspiring conference with a dense and diverse scientific program. My colleagues Dr. Emanuelle Pouydebat and Dr. Ameline Bardo organized a special symposium on „What an interdisciplinary approach can tell us about the evolution of grasping and manipulation„. They compiled an amazing list of invited speakers that gave various presentations related to the overall topic. I am very honoured to have been asked to contribute to this great event!

• Emmanuelle Pouydebat – Introduction: the necessity to develop an interdisciplinary approach to understand grasping and manipulation
• Louise Peckre – The evolution of hand-grasping behaviours among strepsirrhines
• Pauline Thomas – Super grip strengh performance in a small primate (Microcebus murinus): influence of morphology, age, sex
• Sandra Heldstab – Ontogeny recapitulated phylogeny: The ontogeny of manipulation complexity within 26 primate species
• Johanna Neufuss – Hand use and forelimb mechanics of vertical climbing in wild mountain gorillas and sanctuary chimpanzees
• Ameline Bardo – Form and function on the hominids thumb: link between in-hand movements and the trapeziometacarpal complex
• Evie Vereecke – Form and function of the bonobo thumb
• John Nyakatura – Climbing biomechanics in Callitrichids
• Anne Claire Fabre – Co-evolution between grasping ability and forelimb shape in Primates.
• Christine Böhmer – Forelimb muscles and locomotion in primates
• Holger Preuschoft – The primate hands: a compromise between locomotion and manipulation

As a result of the stimulating meeting, Emanuelle and Ameline approached the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society to publish a Special Issue. The journal features a number of highly interesting publications on the evolution of grasping and manipulation. Read more [here]!