Our hands evolved to punch and not just to acquire the ability to handle tools, play musical instruments or create works of art, according to a study by the University of Utah (USA) published in the Journal of Experimental Biology . Its author, biologist David Carrier, has compared human hands with other apes and has come to the conclusion that the fact that humans have smaller palms and longer and stronger fingers, as well as flexible thumbs , is due to among other things, the role that aggressiveness has played in our evolution . "The proportions of our hands are the most appropriate to deliver a good punch," says Carrier, adding that the anatomy of our upper extremities is configured in such a way that it protects the most delicate bones, muscles and ligaments in a hand-to-hand combat. hand.
When our ancestors evolved, "those individuals capable of giving a stronger blow with clenched fists without hurting themselves could fight better to find a mate and , therefore, had more options to reproduce", adds the researcher. The fights were also motivated by the consumption of food and water, by the land, and even by "pride, reputation and revenge". "The selection on the ability to fight, together with the evolutionary advantage of being more skilled, influenced the evolution of the proportion of our hands," concludes Carrier.
