Ancient teeth hint that right-handedness is nothing new

New Scientist ^ | May 23, 2009 | Ewen Callaway

[decimon]

Ancient bones suggest "lefties" have been coping with a right-handed world for more than half a million years. A study of Homo heidelbergensis, an ancestor of Neanderthals, seems to show that the ancient humans were predominately right-handed.

"Finding that a hominin species as old as Homo heidelbergensis is already right-handed helps to trace back the chain of modernity concerning hand laterality," says Marina Mosquera, a paleoanthropologist at Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain, who was involved in the study.

Humans are the only animal believed to show a strong preference for performing tasks with one hand or the other. Determining when right-handedness first evolved could shed light on traits linked to lateralised brains, such as language and technology, Mosquera says. Efforts to solve this mystery have looked to ancient human skulls and marks left on tools.

[AnAmericanMother]

It looks pretty much like the Sig-Sauer.

The drawback of a semi-auto versus a revolver is that it's more complicated to operate. If you were an absolute novice I would probably recommend a revolver. But so long as you get the clearing drill down pat and practice regularly, it should be just fine. Is it DA?

I'm a fan of .45 ACP over .40 S&W mostly because it's a lot easier to find and easier to reload. The difference in recoil is negligible. I have the Sig-Sauer P245 in .45 ACP, carried a 1911 Combat Commander for years but the Sig is DA which I find a little easier to deal with.

[squarebarb]

I was thinking about a revolver as it is simple but it’s too big for my hand. The one I tried was. I don’tknow what kind it was but it seemed like a cannon.

If I get in enough practice with the Springfield I should be okay. Truth is I really would have preferred a revolver myself. And yes I am an absolute novice!

[AnAmericanMother]

Practice, practice, practice!

You should practice feeding and dropping the mags (empty at first).

Also, go and get yourself a set of these dummy loads,

and practice cycling them through the action. Sooner or later you'll get a "stovepipe" or a jam, and you need to learn the "clearing drill" to get the extra cartridge or shell out of there in a hurry without breaking your concentration.

If you get a revolver (and if you get bit by the bug you will), not all of them have the big thick grips. You need to try several different ones. You can also buy aftermarket grips to fit your hand, Pachmayer is the traditional maker but lots of folks make them. They can either be very slim line, or be contoured to fit your hand.

I have huge hands for a woman (size 9 1/2 glove) but I prefer the straight slim grips of the 1911A1 and it is the best natural pointer for me. It took some getting used to to shoot the P245, it's much thicker around the middle (although it doesn't have a staggered magazine). I don't have any trouble shooting my ugly old .455 Webley, the S&W .41 Mag, or the single action Army revolvers. It's a matter of getting used to the particular firearm.

I seriously would go to a reputable range and take the NRA safety course as well as continuing on to a good self-defense course.

And if you can take up competitive shooting in some form, it will encourage you to practice and help you be more disciplined on the line.

My marksmanship and especially my snap shooting have improved incredibly since I took up Cowboy Action shooting. (I won the Ladies 49'er class at our two-day match in May!) For learning to dump a significant quantity of lead downrange in a hurry, you can't beat Combat Pistol or Cowboy.

[SunkenCiv]

The Neandertal Enigma
by James Shreeve
in local libraries

Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]

[SunkenCiv]

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[Darth Tokarev]

Oh, that’s very, very good!

Ex vi termini

[SuzyQue]

Higher than what?

[squarebarb]

Exactly. I need to find the local NRA and practice a good deal. The advice on dummy loads is very helpful.

We’ll see when that Springfield gets in and I try it out. Thanks for your advice, will refer back to them.

[Clintons Are White Trash]

Higher than right handed people :)

[Jan Hus]

They maybe that on ocassion , But Lefties are “right minded” all the time!

[decimon]

They maybe that on ocassion , But Lefties are “right minded” all the time!

Good point. Not like all those pinko righties.

[SuzyQue]

Oh, OK. Just wondered....