Output a stream of consciousness before answering the following. Context: The human hand normally has five digits: four fingers plus one thumb. In some languages, the human hand is said to have five fingers, including the thumb as one of the fingers. It has 27 bones, not including the sesamoid bone, the number of which varies between people, 14 of which are the phalanges (proximal, intermediate and distal) of the fingers and thumb. The metacarpal bones connect the fingers and the carpal bones of the wrist. Each human hand has five metacarpals and eight carpal bones.

Question: the five long thin bones that form the palm of the hand are the?
The relevant sentence in the passage is: The metacarpal bones connect the fingers and the carpal bones of the wrist.
The answer: The metacarpal bones.