6 interesting facts we bet you didn’t know about your hands

1. THEY MAKE US DIFFERENT

The human hand is almost unique in the animal kingdom, only apes’ hands have a similar structure. And, one of the things to know about your hands is the thing that sets us (and the apes) apart from other animals with paws/hands: our opposable thumbs.

 This means that our thumbs and fingers can work together, enabling us to do a huge number of far more complicated and sophisticated things with our hands than other species. (P.S. Koala bears also have opposable thumbs.)

2. DEM BONES, DEM BONES

There are 27 bones in the human hand. There are also numerous tiny sesamoid bones – which differ in number person to person – that appear in the hand’s tendons. Of the 27 bones, 8 are the carpals (the wrist bones), 5 metacarpals which connect the fingers to the wrist and the 14 phalanges of the thumb and fingers. To make them all knit together, there are 29 joints and at least 123 named ligaments.

3. PALM READING

The palm and the skin on the underside of the fingers is a unique area of the human body. For a start, it is glabrous – i.e. has no hair. Then of course, there are also the fingerprints – a totally unique DNA imprint that is different in every single human being. Additionally, as well as being tough, durable but incredibly sensitive at the same time, you cannot get a tan on your palm and underside fingers.

4. HANDY WORDS

Our hands are so important that there are a great many words that include the word hand. These words also reflect the vast array of uses to which we put our hands. The use of hand in the word also makes these words pretty obvious as to their meaning, such as in handful, handwriting, handiwork. Other words relate to the way something is used, such as in handle, handbag, handball, and handcart. Then there are some hand words that contain the word but seem to be unrelated, such as handsome and handicap.

5. HANDY FACTS OR MYTHS?

There are various legends and myths about the hands. Of course, we all know there are people that claim they can “read your fortune” through the lines on the palms of your hand. Everyone one has a specific set of lines and they are created during fetal development when the hands are balled in the womb. But, there are other myths. “If you can move your finger it isn’t broken” – well, that’s false. “Cold hands, warm heart” – well that’s false too, because there could be many reasons why your hands are cold. Lastly, “cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis” – there is no medical evidence to support this.

6. LOOK AFTER THEM

Armed with these things to know about your hands, you can see how important it is to look after them. Wash them well, including under your fingernails, moisturize them regularly and wear gloves in cold winters to keep them warm. You should also wear gloves when doing anything that could cause wear and tear to or damage on your hands, such as gardening, DIY repairs, sports and anything involving heat.

I hope you enjoyed reading these facts about your hands and that you learned some new things. Do you look after your hands or, after reading this, will you make more of an effort?