By Lindsay Whitehurst
Jan 08 2013
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55551424-78/carrier-fist-human-fists.html.csp
summary:
The fist could have shaped the evolution of the hand by giving early man an edge in combat.With long thumbs and shorter fingers and palms, humans are the only primates known to be able to form a fist. In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, David Carrier and co-author Michael Morgan showed that the fist supports and protects the delicate bones, muscles and ligaments of the hand while still packing as much hitting power as an open palm. The study presents a controversial theory that the human hand may have developed for punching rather than solely to give people more manual dexterity after they descended from the trees. And while increased dexterity explains why the thumb became longer,current theories don’t fully explain why the fingers and palms also shortened. Natural selection favoring clenched fists could.
This article includes both evolution and natural selection and is thus connected to our unit.
You said humans are the only primates that can make a fist. Can you name any other organisms that can make a fist? If so, why do you think they can make a fist, and how are their fists different than humans (if they even are)? If not, why do you think that there aren't a huge amount of animals that can make a fist?
ReplyDeleteWhy would the hand have evolved for fighting if it was capable of grasping objects to use as weapons instead of hands?
ReplyDeleteIf human hands developed for punching, why did we develop opposable thumbs?
ReplyDelete