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Prune Fingers

09-01-2013 11:24pm

#1

Squeaky the Squirrel

Closed Accounts Posts: 1,190 ✭✭✭

Join Date: December 2012

Posts: 1098

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/sci-tech/science-gets-a-grip-on-finger-wrinkles-20130110-2chgv.html

Getting "pruney fingers" from soaking in the bath is an evolutionary advantage, because it helps us get a better grip on objects under water, scientists suggest.

Digit puckering was long thought to be caused by a swelling of the outer layers of skin on the fingertips and toes, but recent research showed it was actually a nervous system response to immersion in water.

A team from the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University in Britain tested the usefulness of wrinkling by human volunteers handling wet objects with creased and un-creased fingers.

Those who had their hands immersed in warm water for 30 minutes were much faster than those with dry digits in a test that entailed picking up glass marbles and lead fishing weights between the thumb and index finger and transferring them from one container to another.

wrinkling was probably an evolutionary adaptation, possibly to improve mobility on wet surfaces.

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