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Hands Evolved for Punching?


Hasina

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Human Hands Evolved for Fighting, Study Suggests

Human hands may have evolved their unique shape in order to better punch the living daylights out of competitors, a new study suggests.

The new findings, published today (Dec. 19) in the Journal of Experimental Biology, show that the clenched fist produces no more force than an open-palm slap, but protects the fingers better. Human's unique hand shape is one of only a few possible configurations that allow an organism to have both manual dexterity and the ability to brutally club opponents, the study reveals.

"Once hands are no longer used in locomotion there could have been many different ways to manipulate and many different ways to punch," said Milford Wolpoff, a paleo-anthropologist at the University of Michigan, who was not involved in the study. "A hand that does both is really limited in its morphology."

Source: http://www.livescience.com/25688-human-hands-evolved-fighting.html

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So true. The way the fist is made is to do harm and cause pain. The open hand as in a slap has more power and force. If you are a Boxer you are not allowed to use a closed fist in a fight outside of the ring but you can b**** slap someone.

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So true. The way the fist is made is to do harm and cause pain. The open hand as in a slap has more power and force. If you are a Boxer you are not allowed to use a closed fist in a fight outside of the ring but you can b**** slap someone.

Personally, nothing's more satisfying then a good solid slap to someone's face.

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Reckon the travellers (pikeys) are going to love this.

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I thought it was for grasping at straws.

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I have to admit there are a couple of people I would get great satisfaction out of punching them out. violent-smiley-100.gif

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I can't help but notice that when i clench my fist.. it seems oddly similar to the configuration my hand assumes as it GRASPS something. ?¿?

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hm.......psalms 18:34; 144:1....at risk of offending you--something im loath to do, i greatly admire your beauty--we cant afford to only focus on simply one thing about something...even as "theres a tyme to every purpose", so theres more than one purpose to every thing. the study of aikido i had opened up much of lifes spiritual-ness in a way id not ever considered before...hasina, theres always more to something...have a good holiday

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I can't help but notice that when i clench my fist.. it seems oddly similar to the configuration my hand assumes as it GRASPS something. ?¿?

Yeah i kind of feel like if our hands were just to fight then we would have like a spike or claw or something. Wouldent those be alot more effective then a fist?

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All apes have fists..should be all apes not just humans

Apes can't make proper fists. Their hands have evolved to hold bananas (and, yeah, tree-branches 'n' stuff), not punch. They can't close it as tight as humans, which is what concentrates the power and force needed for a good punch. Something like that.

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Apes can't make proper fists. Their hands have evolved to hold bananas (and, yeah, tree-branches 'n' stuff), not punch. They can't close it as tight as humans, which is what concentrates the power and force needed for a good punch. Something like that.

... which would protect the fingers .. as the study says... My earlier quicky smartypants response about the human hand's ability to Grasp... didn't take into consideration that many primates can also grasp things. But still... how much Punching does the average human do? Enough to affect the physiology of hands? Seems unlikely?

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We also don't knuckle walk.

Some of us don't knuckle-walk any more!

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Others still prefer it!

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It is really easy to break your hand hitting someone with your fist. I think they are more set up for throwing. Throw then run, repeat, until the lion has had enough and moves off its prey.

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... which would protect the fingers .. as the study says... My earlier quicky smartypants response about the human hand's ability to Grasp... didn't take into consideration that many primates can also grasp things. But still... how much Punching does the average human do? Enough to affect the physiology of hands? Seems unlikely?

Maybe not as much these days, but even a few hundred years ago (and less) fighting with fists was extremely common.

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Maybe not as much these days, but even a few hundred years ago (and less) fighting with fists was extremely common.

How common though? For survival, humans will always prefer a weapon to their fists. With regards to fighting with fists, many wouldn't do it much at all in their whole lives. In the past I doubt there would have been enough fist fighting to alter our physiology.

Edit: Or was there some period in early history where there was a bare knuckle world war which lasted a few thousand years?

Edited by Timonthy
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Makes perfect sense as it's still a primitive reflex to punch which has ended many a life and put many more in jail. Also it compensates to have a club (fist) replace blades (claws) all which we gave up when we wanted to use our hands. I'm in agreeance

Edited by Chooky88
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