Fernández Navarro, VerónicaGarate, DiegoGarcía Martínez, Daniel2024-12-052024-12-052024Fernández-Navarro, V., Garate, D., & Martínez, D. G. (2024). Ontogeny and sexual dimorphism in the human hands through a 2D geometric morphometrics approach. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 185(1), e25001. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.250012692-769110.1002/ajpa.25001https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/112140The authors would like to express their gratitude to Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Thanks to the Department of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution for offering their facilities and tools for the final achievement of this study. This research was supported by a “Concepción Arenal” 2020–21 pre-doctoral scholarship at the University of Cantabria. The present study has been conducted as part of the research project “Scientific virtual reality for the study and dissemination of the scenarios of artistic creation in Palaeolithic caves (RealCaveART)” (PDC2022-133124-I00), PI: Diego Garate, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union Next Generation EU/PRTR.Objectives. This study aims to conduct a thorough characterization of hand morphology. Employing a 2D geometric morphometric approach, we scrutinize individual fingers and the palm, delineating the ontogenetic trajectories for each biological sex and investigating the alterations that take place at various stages of human development. Materials and methods. A set of thirty-two 2D anatomical landmarks were assessed in a sex-balanced sample of human hands (F = 275, M = 250 males), spanning all stages of human development. Following Procrustes registration, the data on size and shape for individual fingers and the palm were examined for each biological sex and age group. Regression analysis was utilized to quantify ontogenetic trajectories for each biological sex. Results. The findings suggest a gradual escalation in sexual dimorphism throughout human development, with statistically noteworthy distinctions becoming apparent in size starting at the age of 3, and in shape from the age of 7 onwards. Additionally, our analyses uncover a distinctive sigmoid pattern between sexes, indicating that biological male hands exhibit a sturdier build compared to biological female hands from early childhood onward. Conclusions. In conclusion, this study enriches our insights into sexual dimorphism in human hands, stressing the importance of considering both size and shape across different ontogenetic stages. These findings not only expand our understanding of human biological variation but also lay the foundation for future interdisciplinary research in diverse scientific domains.engAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/journal article1096-8644https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.25001https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajpa.25001open access572.79611.97572.1/.4Form variabilityHandsMorphometryOntogenySexual dimorphismAntropología biológicaAnatomía2402 Antropología (Física)2410 Biología Humana2410.02 Anatomía Humana2410.13 Anatomía Topográfica