For more than half a century, Paranthropus boisei—dubbed “Nutcracker Man”—has challenged scientists with one enduring question: did they make tools? Decades after her grandmother discovered a 1.8-million-year-old skull, National Geographic Explorer Louise Leakey and her team unearthed a 1.5-million-year-old hand from the ancient hominin. The fossil shows a hand capable of a precise, forceful grip—hinting at the potential to craft tools and challenging long-held views of the species. This evidenc