How come our fingers are different sizes and lengths?
asks Alec Pemara, a student in Manhasset, NY. Hands and fingers aren’t unique to human beings; other primates have them, too. Take a look at gorilla or chimp’s hands and you’ll see a set of four fingers, varying in length from index to pinky, along with a real thumb. (While other animals, such as raccoons, have paws that resemble hands, official “hands” belong only to primates.) Hands are useful for grasping—hanging onto a tree limb (or hanging onto a ladder), picking berries (or picking up groceries), throwing a clod of dirt (or throwing a baseball). If our fingers were the same length, our hands wouldn’t be such flexible tools. When we hold a spherical object like an orange in the palm of our hand, the fingers actually curve around evenly, giving us a firm grip. Tapering fingers (and strong thumbs) allowed early humans to use specially-shaped stones to smash, scrape and cut other objects. (A long pinky finger would be more likely to get caught and squashed itself.) Besides precision
