Biography
I completed my MSc in Natural Science at the University of Padua, Italy, in 2016, with a thesis on visuospatial integration and cognitive archaeology. I then pursued a PhD at the Spanish National Research Center for Human Evolution (CENIEH), focusing on the relationship between hand anatomy, stone tools technology, and the evolution of human brain, which I defended in October 2021.
Since 2015, I have been excavating at the Archaeological Site of Atapuerca (Spain). I also have hands-on experience in stone tool making processes. In addition to my research, I have worked as an assistant editor for an open access journal. My research delves into the emerging field of Paleolithic ergonomics and currently, I am Marie Sklodowska-Curie European Fellow at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, working on the project "Paleoergo: Exploring Hand-Stone Tool Interactions in Early Hominins".
Research
Tool design (shape, dimensions), users’ hand features (size, morphology, biomechanical aspects), and how tasks are performed (hand/finger position, grasping types) are all key factors in making hand tool use effective, safe, and risk-free.
Combining experimental archaeology with advanced techniques, the PALEOERGO project aims to measure how effectively replica Lower Paleolithic stone tools can be produced and used, and how this relates to the anatomy and ergonomic strategies employed. The project seeks to answer longstanding questions about the ergonomic relationship between the human hand and the use and production of stone tools.
The research employs methods from experimental archaeology, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), surface electromyography (sEMG), and occupational safety techniques. The project aims to understand how musculoskeletal aspects of the hand, and variation within and between species, influenced the lithic archaeological record, and how variation in an individual’s anatomy influences stone tool use and production.
This innovative approach focuses on Oldowan flakes and Acheulean handaxes, examining how hand anatomy influenced tool manipulation and the subsequent evolutionary trajectory of human cognition and behavior.
Key Publications
- Fedato, A., Silva-Gago, M., Terradillos-Bernal, M., Alonso-Alcalde, R., & Bruner, E. (2024). The influence of hand dimension in phalanx flexion during Lower Paleolithic stone tool manipulation. Quaternary, 7 (3), 29.
- Fedato, A. & Bruner, E. (2023). Handling prehistory: tools, electrophysiology and haptics. In: Cognitive Archeology, Body Cognition, and the Evolution of Visuospatial Perception, pp. 241-262, Academic Press.
- Silva-Gago, M., Fedato, A., Terradillos-Bernal, M., Alonso-Alcalde, R., Hodgson, T., Bruner, E. (2022). The Influence of Tool Morphology on Visual Attention During the Interaction with Lower Palaeolithic Stone Tools. Lithic Technology 47 (4), 328-339.
- Silva-Gago, M., Fedato, A., Terradillos-Bernal, M., Alonso-Alcalde, R., Hodgson, T., Bruner, E. (2022). Does knowledge influence visual attention? A comparative analysis between archaeologists and naïve subjects during the exploration of Lower Palaeolithic tools. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 14 (6), 114.
- Fedato, A., Silva-Gago, M., Terradillos-Bernal, M., Alonso-Alcalde, R., & Bruner, E. (2020). Hand grasping and finger flexion during Lower Paleolithic stone tool ergonomic exploration. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 12(11), 1-9.
- Fedato, A., Silva‐Gago, M., Terradillos‐Bernal, M., Alonso‐Alcalde, R., Martín‐Guerra, E., & Bruner, E. (2019). Electrodermal activity during Lower Paleolithic stone tool handling. American Journal of Human Biology, 31(5), e23279.