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In this line, human tool use is based on motor programs about how the hand interacts with tools, implying that the use of end-effectors other than the hand should generate motor control difficulties (e.g., inability to reproduce a specific tool-use action over time), because these so-called programs characterize the spatiotemporal parameters of hand movements, but not of other end-effectors. To test this, we asked participants to perform three tool-use actions (e.g., pounding a nail) with four end-effectors (i.e., right foot, right elbow, left hand, right hand). We show that participants not only spontaneously performed the tool-use actions effectively, but also crucially kept tools\u2019 spatiotemporal parameters constant among the end-effectors. This phenomenon, which we call poly-dexterity, is at odds with the view that the human brain stores hand-centered motor programs for tool use. Poly-dexterity is instead consistent with the idea that, once the tool-use action is formed mentally, general motor programs can be applied to a variety of end-effectors. Reversing the usual evolutionary perspective, our findings support that, in the course of evolution, manual dexterity has come after tool-use skills.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-018-28759-2","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,5]],"date-time":"2018-07-05T09:37:10Z","timestamp":1530783430000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Tool Use and Generalized Motor Programs: We All Are Natural Born Poly-Dexters"],"prefix":"10.1038","volume":"8","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3449-6377","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fran\u00e7ois","family":"Osiurak","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mathieu","family":"Lesourd","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ludovic","family":"Delporte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8867-4496","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yves","family":"Rossetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"28759_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"121","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1469-7580.2000.19710121.x","volume":"197","author":"MW Marzke","year":"2000","unstructured":"Marzke, M. 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