The human hand: from tools to texting, a triumph of evolution – seven tips for keeping them healthy
- Opposable thumbs evolved about 2.6 million years ago when humans began using stone tools more frequently
- There are very few animals with fingerprints as unique as ours, and these include chimpanzees and koalas
Have you ever thought about your hands? After millions of years of evolution, they have developed into a highly useful part of our anatomy. With our hands, we developed the first tools and learned to make fire and, today – capable of many tasks – our hands equip us for modern life.
The key player in the evolution of the human hand is the opposable thumb.
Sabrina Harrison, a research assistant to orthopaedic surgeon Dr Peter Jebson, who wrote Hand Secrets (1998), says that “without opposable thumbs, humans would not be able to handle tools that helped drive our species forward”.
Harrison, who is student at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, explains that opposable thumbs evolved about 2.6 million years ago when humans began using stone tools more frequently.
“Opposable” in this case means the thumb can be placed opposite the other fingers on the same hand, and touch each of them. Most primates have opposable thumbs, while some more surprising animals, such as the arboreal frog, koala and giant panda, also benefit from this useful digit.