Hasina Posted December 20, 2012 #1 Share Posted December 20, 2012 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 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfknight Posted December 20, 2012 #2 Share Posted December 20, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemonix Posted December 20, 2012 #3 Share Posted December 20, 2012 That settles it. I'm learning Kung Fu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hasina Posted December 20, 2012 Author #4 Share Posted December 20, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freetoroam Posted December 20, 2012 #5 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Reckon the travellers (pikeys) are going to love this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.United_Nations Posted December 20, 2012 #6 Share Posted December 20, 2012 All apes have fists..should be all apes not just humans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsteroidX Posted December 20, 2012 #7 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I thought it was for grasping at straws. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashotep Posted December 20, 2012 #8 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I have to admit there are a couple of people I would get great satisfaction out of punching them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightly Posted December 20, 2012 #9 Share Posted December 20, 2012 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. ?¿? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetpumper Posted December 20, 2012 #10 Share Posted December 20, 2012 The open hand as in a slap has more power and force. True, and it's more natural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobalt60 Posted December 20, 2012 #11 Share Posted December 20, 2012 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan max2 Posted December 20, 2012 #12 Share Posted December 20, 2012 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? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hasina Posted December 21, 2012 Author #13 Share Posted December 21, 2012 All apes have fists..should be all apes not just humans Our hands are different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Fluffs Posted December 21, 2012 #14 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Saxton Hale approves of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hasina Posted December 21, 2012 Author #15 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Those boots were made for walking? Well, my fists evolved for PUNCHING! -punches things- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExpandMyMind Posted December 21, 2012 #16 Share Posted December 21, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bad Voodoo Posted December 21, 2012 #17 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Im not sure about this one. I think they concluded wrongly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightly Posted December 21, 2012 #18 Share Posted December 21, 2012 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hasina Posted December 21, 2012 Author #19 Share Posted December 21, 2012 We also don't knuckle walk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ealdwita Posted December 21, 2012 #20 Share Posted December 21, 2012 We also don't knuckle walk. Some of us don't knuckle-walk any more! Others still prefer it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xYlvax Posted December 21, 2012 #21 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Just gives me another reason to knock the living daylights out of some idiots around here.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Greenman Posted December 21, 2012 #22 Share Posted December 21, 2012 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExpandMyMind Posted December 21, 2012 #23 Share Posted December 21, 2012 ... 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Posted December 21, 2012 #24 Share Posted December 21, 2012 (edited) 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 December 21, 2012 by Timonthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chooky88 Posted December 21, 2012 #25 Share Posted December 21, 2012 (edited) 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 December 21, 2012 by Chooky88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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