Human Hands Evolved For Fighting
Over the weekend there was a UFC fight on TV and PPV with UFC 155. I was enjoy the fight with several people when one of my friends stated she didn't mind the sport until it got "bloody and brutal." I guess some folks can't handle when a fight gets "too violent", but it seems human hands actually evolved to fight.
Researchers have recently suggested that human hands evolved to be actual weapons in a fight. It was once believed that our hands evolved to make tools but the new study says that the traits of a shorter palms and fingers with stronger and more flexible thumbs, compared to apes, came from violence. One such reference of proof being the ability to make a closed fist.
"The role aggression has played in our evolution has not been adequately appreciated," says University of Utah Professor David Carrier. "There are people who do not like this idea but it is clear that compared with other mammals, great apes are a relatively aggressive group with lots of fighting and violence, and that includes us. We're the poster children for violence."
Carrier conducted a study using test subjects who had martial arts experience. He had them hit a punching bag in a variety of different ways. His research supports the claim that "clenched fists are much more efficient weapons than open or loosely curled hands."
So next time someone says that the UFC, Boxing, or another type fighting sport is "too barbaric", refer them to this story. We evolved out of violence so it's in our nature to want to fight and to watch it. Which also proves why the UFC has seen such a boom in the last decade or so.
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