Human Hand Evolved to Make Us Better Fighters

While conventional theories state that the human hand evolved to its present form in order to provide us with a better control over producing tools, researchers at University of Utah suggest that one of the major reasons for the evolution of the human hand was to make us better fighters.

Researchers led by David Carrier said that there are several different forms which could have provided humans with the dexterity required to use and manipulate tools but the present form is the only one through which were can land a punch effectively.

The researchers compared the shape of the human hand with apes and found that human hand has the unique ability to form a fist and use the thumb as a supporting buttress. The study has been published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

"The role aggression has played in our evolution has not been adequately appreciated. There are people who do not like this idea, but it is clear that compared with other mammals, great apes are a relatively aggressive group, with lots of fighting and violence, and that includes us. We're the poster children for violence", Carrier said.

Source: Medindia