Fighting 'shaped human hand'

Interesting read.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20790294

Professional boxers are among the ultimate practitioners of an activity that may have shaped human history
Continue reading the main story
Fighting may have shaped the evolution of the human hand, according to a new study by a US team.

The University of Utah researchers used instruments to measure the forces and acceleration when martial artists hit a punch bag.

They found that the structure of the fist provides support that increases the ability of the knuckles to transmit "punching" force.

Details of the research have been published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

"We asked the question: 'can you strike harder with a fist than with an open palm'," co-author Prof David Carrier told BBC News.

"We were surprised because the fist strikes were not more forceful than the strikes with the palm. In terms of the work on the bag there is really no difference."

Of course, the surface that strikes the target with a fist is smaller, so there is more stress from a fist strike.

"The force per area is higher in a fist strike and that is what causes localised tissue damage," said Prof Carrier.

"There is a performance advantage in that regard. But the real focus of the study was whether the proportions of the human hand allow buttressing (support)."

The team found that making a clenched fist did indeed provide protective buttressing for the delicate bones of the hand. Making a fist increased the stiffness of the second meta-carpo-phalangeal, or MCP, joint (these joints are the knuckles visible when the hand is clenched as a fist) by a factor of four.

It also doubled the ability of the proximal phalanges (the bones of the fingers that articulate with the MCP joints) to transmit a punching force.

Dual use
In their paper, Prof Carrier and Michael H Morgan from the University of Utah's school of medicine, point out that the human hand has also been shaped by the need for manual dexterity. But they say that a number of different hand proportions are compatible with an enhanced ability to manipulate objects.

"There may, however, be only one set of skeletal proportions that allows the hand to function both as a mechanism for precise manipulation and as a club for striking," the researchers write.

"Ultimately, the evolutionary significance of the human hand may lie in its remarkable ability to serve two seemingly incompatible, but intrinsically human, functions."

Prof Carrier commented: "The question for me is 'why wasn't this discussed 30, 40 years ago.' As far as I know it isn't in the literature."

Asked whether the idea that aggression may have played a key role in shaping the human body might previously have been unpalatable to researchers, Prof Carrier explained: "I think we're more in that situation now than we were in the past.

"I think there is a lot of resistance, maybe more so among academics than people in general - resistance to the idea that, at some level humans are by nature aggressive animals. I actually think that attitude, and the people who have tried to make the case that we don't have a nature - those people have not served us well.

"I think we would be better off if we faced the reality that we have these strong emotions and sometimes they prime us to behave in violent ways. I think if we acknowledged that we'd be better able to prevent violence in future." Phone Post

An interesting notion, but not one I'd stick long and hard to personally. Evolution is a truly intricate process, but considering that it happens over the course of thousands of years and that dexterity/fine manipulation came with that, I feel like people would have probably begun hitting each other with objects noting the advantage it brings before they continued hitting each other to such a common degree that it actually affected our evolutionary pathways.

That said, I'm no scientist obviously so what do I know? I could see at best a minor contribution to the hand's skeletal/muscular construction from combat. Have they done a similar test on knucklewalkers? Perhaps our hand's toughness has a deeper route in a past where we more often found ourselves using it for functional leverage? I dunno though, I'm just spitballing at this point and proving I definitely am not a scientist haha.

Evolved for masturbation purposes as a response to cave women figuring out that cutting their  hair = no can drag.

pretty common sense idea that we are naturally violent. we evolved from these animals and have waaaaaaaaaaay more in common with them than we have differences. so why wouldnt we have a tendency toward violence?

so are you saying that the bitch slap is under utilized in mma?

i'm going to disagree based on the fact that hand injuries are so damn common in fighters. there are so many small bones in the hand that easily break. Boxing when to gloves to protect the fighters hands.

interdasting

Chris Power - An interesting notion, but not one I'd stick long and hard to personally. Evolution is a truly intricate process, but considering that it happens over the course of thousands of years and that dexterity/fine manipulation came with that, I feel like people would have probably begun hitting each other with objects noting the advantage it brings before they continued hitting each other to such a common degree that it actually affected our evolutionary pathways.

That said, I'm no scientist obviously so what do I know? I could see at best a minor contribution to the hand's skeletal/muscular construction from combat. Have they done a similar test on knucklewalkers? Perhaps our hand's toughness has a deeper route in a past where we more often found ourselves using it for functional leverage? I dunno though, I'm just spitballing at this point and proving I definitely am not a scientist haha.

Yeah my fist thought was why aren't apes setup with similar fists? Maybe some are? From what I've seen, when they strike they keep an open hand..

Interesting article though.

Zed Wayne Zed - 
The Mammoth - 



Silly.

It should have said, "Can't read."

Yes, you should not read a story outlining a study that says the act of punching, and the use of the hand with force, may have played a role in the evolution of the human hand.

Back to the iPhone, episodes of "Modern Family", and Axe Body Wash for you, as you have clearly made a strong argument that you do not deserve to read.


Article about how parts of our body adapted and evolved throughout generations due to our behaviour and survival.



wow, what a shock, this is breaking news man.



Next there will be an article talking about the shape of our teeth and how they evolved so we can bite things. MINDBLOWING

are you actually trying to tell me its groundbreaking that animals on this planet have evolved to fight/defend/attack with parts of their body???

 

What the fuck do you think the scorpion tail is doing with a big ass sting on it? Using it for a hole punch?

The porcupine? the skunk? black widow?

 

FUCKING ANKYLOSAURUS

Ankylosaurus

Here's the abstract as well as the full article:

http://jeb.biologists.org/content/216/2/236.abstract
http://jeb.biologists.org/content/216/2/236.full.pdf+html

The most groundbreaking finding ever? No. But I find it interesting anyway

Zed Wayne Zed - 
The Mammoth - 

are you actually trying to tell me its groundbreaking that animals on this planet have evolved to fight/defend/attack with parts of their body???

 

What the fuck do you think the scorpion tail is doing with a big ass sting on it? Using it for a hole punch?

The porcupine? the skunk? black widow?

 

FUCKING ANKYLOSAURUS

Ankylosaurus

<br />
First off, swearing won't get your point across any better,<br />
so temper that.<br />
<br />
The story is about the human hand, not animals, or dinosaurs.<br />
<br />
It is saying that over the centuries, the use of the hand as a weapon has caused it evolve in a way that allows it exert more force and most likely how the bone structure was formed.<br />
<br />
Don't argue me about cakes, and use cookies as proof.</blockquote>

 


Yup, its about the human hand. Humans are animals. All animals/species evolve to survive their enviroment. The dinosaur was there to wake you up to my point by giving you an extreme example - you think that walking tank has a spikey hammer for a tail to look pretty?

 

It is easy to conclude hunting/fighting would mean we have adapted our fists to fight over the ages just as stags have super thick skulls as they butt heads for dominance.

BTW, aint no way in hell the fist evolved as a weapon over 'centuries'. So temper that ;-p we're talking pure common ancestor millions of years shit.

Jesus christ! What is the matter with some of you fucks? I just found it to be an interesting read. Not sure if it's 100% legit but i am not sure if evolution or christianity is legit either but it sure's fuck is interdasting. Phone Post

kungfugrip - i'm going to disagree based on the fact that hand injuries are so damn common in fighters. there are so many small bones in the hand that easily break. Boxing when to gloves to protect the fighters hands.

to say that with the screen name of kung fu grip is halerious....Yes there are many bones in the hand to break but through training you can turn your hands into stones extremely hard to break....kung fu man...kung fu

"FUCKING ANKYLOSAURUS"

THE ORIGINAL CAUSE OF PCL INJURIES!

 

Lmao Phone Post

HELWIG - 


"FUCKING ANKYLOSAURUS"



THE ORIGINAL CAUSE OF PCL INJURIES!



 



This.

tetris - 

Jesus christ! What is the matter with some of you fucks? I just found it to be an interesting read. Not sure if it's 100% legit but i am not sure if evolution or christianity is legit either but it sure's fuck is interdasting. Phone Post



why bring christianity to the table? got nothing to do with this discussion in any way whatsoever. Nobody is talking about Lord Of The Rings or Harry Potter up in here either, so save the mythical tale discussion for somewhere else..



Now, back on topic.



 



FUCKING ANKYLOSAURUS

^Id bet youre not so brazen in trashing people's cherished beliefs in person.

More of a thing for when you get some time on the computer?