Wrinkling Fingers May Have Evolutionary Purpose

[quote]The prunelike wrinkles that result from a long, hot bath may have an evolutionary purpose, researchers say. Writing in the journal Biology Letters, the scientists report that wrinkled fingers and toes allow a better grip on wet objects — so they may have evolved to give early humans an advantage in wet conditions. “People are about 12 percent quicker” at moving wet objects, said an author of the study, Tom Smulders, an evolutionary biologist at Newcastle University in England, “if their fingers are wrinkled than if their fingers are non-wrinkled.” He and his colleagues tested how quickly wrinkled and unwrinkled fingers could move wet and dry marbles. All the participants in the study were able to transfer dry marbles faster than wet marbles, but wrinkly fingers helped with the wet ones. “It’s not just our fingers that do it, but our toes do it as well,” Dr. Smulders said. “The actual origin of this may have been to help us move on all fours.” Wrinkly fingers could also have helped with gathering food from wet vegetation or streams. Why, then, are finger pads not permanently wrinkled? That remains to be studied, Dr. Smulders said, but “it may be that wrinkled fingers are more easily injured, or they may affect the sense of touch.” Further research with other species that share this feature may also help explain how long ago wrinkly fingers and toes evolved, and for what purpose.[/quote]