Shriveled Fingers are Not a Coincidence. They Make Our Hands So Slippery

   Among our fingers slipping things in life. But it could be much more if we in the water on the fingers do not produce the typical large wrinkles. They think at least from an American lab biologists 2AI, Idaho.

    The first sketch of his ideas published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Evolution (brief summary of the work is available here.) Scientists believe that the wrinkles on your fingers have a similar function as the grooves on the tires. So far only partially confirmed the hypothesis. But the results of the first study (and reportedly even now ongoing) attempts to look convincing.
    Speech dead fingers

    Inspiration leading to the hypothesis was somewhat morbid. The main author of the study, neurobiologist Mark Changizi, got a chance for scientific work of 30 years on the properties of the fingers with interrupted by nerves. Its authors say that such finger skin after immersion in water does not create wrinkles. Result of experiment indicates (but not clearly demonstrated) that the emergence of shriveled fingers wet areas also contributes to the nervous system. Maybe then arise quite spontaneously and without meaning.

    Changizi the old job came during the examination of other issues (he wondered why the human hand which has such a shape), wrote in an e-mail . Aroused in him a question, what might serve such a groove. The issue of discussing with his student Roman Weber. And it attacked the analogy, which foreshadowed a hypothesis: Could be the equivalent of grooves on the tires, which diverts water and improve traction?
    View of the fingers close shows that the wrinkles resulting from the prolonged stay in the water

    View of the fingers close shows that the wrinkles resulting from the prolonged stay in the water are often discrete channels leading away from the edges bellies. At first sight it might mean that the resulting lines are used to “drain” the place where contact with the subject held by most, so fingers bellies.

    The two scientists began looking for his first hypothesis evidence. First photographed soaking fingers 28 and their comparison found that all exhibit some common features. First create a long, discontinuous channels. Jimi can drain water from the bellies of fingers when pinch an object.