Contrasted thumb in primates. Study: Human hands are more primitive than chimpanzee limbs

In most other mammals, the grasping organs are a pair of jaws with teeth, or two forepaws that press against each other. And only in primates, the thumb on the hand is clearly opposed to other fingers, which makes the hand a very convenient grasping device in which the remaining fingers act as a single whole. Here is a demonstration of this fact for you, but before proceeding to a practical experiment, read the following warning:

During the exercise described below, bending the index finger, DO NOT HOLD the middle finger with the other hand, otherwise you can damage the tendon of the forearm.

After reading the warning, place one palm on a flat surface with the back side down. Bend the little finger, trying to touch it to the palm. Pay attention to the fact that along with the little finger, the ring finger also rose, and its movement occurs automatically, regardless of your will. And in the same way, if you bend your index finger, then the middle one will move after it. This is due to the fact that the hand in the process of evolution has adapted to capture, and to capture something with minimal effort and with maximum speed possible if the fingers are connected to the same mechanism. In our hand, the gripping mechanism is "headed" by the little finger. If you set yourself the task of quickly squeezing your fingers in turn so that they touch the palm of your hand, then it is much more convenient to start with the little finger and end with the index finger, and not vice versa.

These fingers are opposed by the thumb. In the animal kingdom, this is not uncommon, but in a few groups this feature extends to all members of the group. Opposite fingers are present in birds of the order Passeriformes, although in some species it is one finger out of four, and in others two fingers oppose another two fingers. Some reptiles, such as the branch-walking chameleon, also have opposable toes. In invertebrates, prehensile organs take various forms- first of all, the claws of crabs and scorpions come to mind, as well as the forelimbs of insects such as the praying mantis. All these organs are used to manipulate objects (the word "manipulation" comes from the Latin manus which means "hand").

Our thumb opposes other fingers only on the hands; in other primates, this feature extends to all limbs. Humans lost the opposing toe when they descended from the trees to the ground, but the size of the big toe still indicates its special role in the past.

Compared to all monkeys, man has the most dexterous hand. We easily touch the tip of the thumb with the tips of all other fingers, because it is relatively long. The thumb of a chimpanzee is considerably shorter; they can also manipulate objects, but to a lesser extent. When monkeys hang and swing from a branch, their thumb usually does not wrap around it. They simply fold the rest of their fingers into a hook and grab onto a branch with them. The thumb does not take part in the formation of this "hook". A chimpanzee wraps all his fingers around a branch only when walking slowly along it or standing on top of it, but even then, like most great apes, she does not so much grab a branch as she leans on the knuckles of her fingers, as when walking on the ground.

Chimpanzee hand and human hand.

Primates have another evolutionary tool for manipulation on their hands. In most of their species, the claws have evolved into flat nails. Thus, the fingertips are protected from damage, but the fingertips retain sensitivity. With these pads, primates can press on objects, grab them, and feel any surface, even the smoothest, without scratching it. To increase friction, the skin in this area is covered with fine wrinkles. That is why we leave fingerprints.

Often the opinion is imposed on us that man descended from apes. And that science has discovered such a similarity between human DNA and chimpanzees that leaves no doubt about their origin from a common ancestor. Is it true? Are humans really just evolved apes? Consider the differences between apes and humans.

Remarkably, human DNA allows us to perform complex calculations, write poetry, build cathedrals, walk on the moon, while chimpanzees catch and eat each other's fleas. As information accumulates, the gap between humans and apes becomes more and more obvious. Listed below are just some of the differences that cannot be explained by minor internal changes, rare mutations or survival of the fittest.

1 Tails - where did they go? There is no intermediate state between the presence of a tail and its absence.

2 Our newborns are different from animal babies. Their sense organs are quite developed, the weight of the brain and body is much larger than that of monkeys, but with all this, our babies are helpless and more dependent on their parents. Gorilla babies can stand on their feet 20 weeks after birth, while human babies can stand up after 43 weeks. During the first year of life, a person develops functions that animal cubs have even before birth. Is this progress?

3 Many primates and most mammals make their own vitamin C. We, as the “strongest,” obviously lost this ability “somewhere on the road to survival.”

4 The feet of monkeys are similar to their hands - their big toe is movable, directed to the side and opposed to the rest of the fingers, resembling a thumb. In humans, the big toe points forward and is not opposed to the rest, otherwise we could, having thrown off our shoes, easily lift objects with the thumb or even start writing with our foot.

5 Monkeys have no arch in their feet! When walking, our foot, thanks to the arch, absorbs all loads, shocks and shocks. If a person descended from ancient monkeys, then his arch should have appeared in the foot “from scratch”. However, the springy vault is not just a small detail, but a complex mechanism. Without him, our life would be very different. Just imagine a world without bipedalism, sports, games and long walks!

6 A person does not have a continuous hairline: if a person shares a common ancestor with monkeys, where did the thick hair from the monkey body go? Our body is relatively hairless (flaw) and completely devoid of tactile hair. No other intermediate, partially hairy species are known.

7 Human skin is rigidly attached to the muscular frame, which is characteristic only of marine mammals.

8 Humans are the only land creatures capable of consciously holding their breath. This, at first glance, "insignificant detail" is very important, since an indispensable condition for the ability to speak is high degree conscious control of breathing, which we do not resemble any other animal that lives on land. Desperate to find a terrestrial "missing link" and based on these unique human properties, some evolutionists have seriously suggested that we evolved from aquatic animals!

9 Among primates, only humans are found Blue eyes and curly hair.

10 We have a unique speech apparatus that provides the finest articulation and articulate speech.

11 In humans, the larynx occupies a much lower position in relation to the mouth than in monkeys. Due to this, our pharynx and mouth form a common “tube”, which plays an important role as a speech resonator. This ensures better resonance - necessary condition to pronounce vowels. Interestingly, the drooping larynx is a disadvantage: unlike other primates, humans cannot eat or drink and breathe at the same time without choking.

12 The thumb of our hand is well developed, strongly opposed to the rest and very mobile. Monkeys, on the other hand, have hook-shaped hands with a short and weak thumb. No element of culture would exist without our unique thumb! Coincidence or design?

13 Only man is inherent in true upright posture. Sometimes, when the monkeys are carrying food, they can walk or run on two limbs. However, the distance they cover in this way is rather limited. In addition, the way monkeys walk on two limbs is completely different from walking on two legs. The particular human approach requires the intricate integration of the many skeletal and muscular features of our hips, legs, and feet.

14 Humans are able to support their body weight on their feet while walking because our hips converge towards our knees, forming a unique 9-degree load-bearing angle with the tibia (in other words, we have "knees out"). Conversely, chimpanzees and gorillas have widely spaced, straight legs with a bearing angle almost equal to zero. These animals, while walking, distribute their body weight on their feet, swaying the body from side to side and moving with the help of the “monkey gait” familiar to us.

15 The human brain is far more complex than the monkey brain. It is approximately 2.5 times larger than the brain of higher monkeys in terms of volume and 3-4 times in mass. A person has a highly developed cerebral cortex, in which the most important centers of the psyche and speech are located. Unlike apes, only humans have a complete sylvian sulcus, consisting of anterior horizontal, anterior ascending, and posterior branches.

Based on site materials

According to recent genetic studies, there are incomparably large differences between man and ape.

Remarkably, human DNA allows us to perform complex calculations, write poetry, build cathedrals, walk on the moon, while chimpanzees catch and eat each other's fleas. As information accumulates, the gap between humans and apes becomes more and more obvious. The following are just some of the differences that cannot be explained by minor internal changes, rare mutations, or survival of the fittest.

1 Tails - where did they go? There is no intermediate state between the presence of a tail and its absence.

2 Our newborns are different from animal babies. Their sense organs are quite developed, the weight of the brain and body is much larger than that of monkeys, but with all this, our babies are helpless and more dependent on their parents. Gorilla babies can stand on their feet 20 weeks after birth, while human babies can stand up after 43 weeks. During the first year of life, a person develops functions that animal cubs have even before birth. Is this progress?

3 Many primates and most mammals make their own vitamin C. We, as the “strongest,” obviously lost this ability “somewhere on the road to survival.”

4 The feet of monkeys are similar to their hands - their big toe is movable, directed to the side and opposed to the rest of the fingers, resembling a thumb. In humans, the big toe points forward and is not opposed to the rest, otherwise we could, having thrown off our shoes, easily lift objects with the thumb or even start writing with our foot.

5 Monkeys have no arch in their feet! When walking, our foot, thanks to the arch, absorbs all loads, shocks and shocks. If a person descended from ancient monkeys, then his arch should have appeared in the foot “from scratch”. However, the springy vault is not just a small detail, but a complex mechanism. Without him, our life would be very different. Just imagine a world without bipedalism, sports, games and long walks!

Differences between monkeys and humans

6 A person does not have a continuous hairline: if a person shares a common ancestor with monkeys, where did the thick hair from the monkey body go? Our body is relatively hairless (flaw) and completely devoid of tactile hair. No other intermediate, partially hairy species are known.

7 Human skin is rigidly attached to the muscular frame, which is characteristic only of marine mammals.

8 Humans are the only land creatures capable of consciously holding their breath. This, at first glance, "insignificant detail" is very important, since an indispensable condition for the ability to speak is a high degree of conscious control of breathing, which in us is not similar to any other animal living on land. Desperate to find a terrestrial "missing link" and based on these unique human properties, some evolutionists have seriously suggested that we evolved from aquatic animals!

9 Among primates, only humans have blue eyes and curly hair.

10 We have a unique speech apparatus that provides the finest articulation and articulate speech.

11 In humans, the larynx occupies a much lower position in relation to the mouth than in monkeys. Due to this, our pharynx and mouth form a common “tube”, which plays an important role as a speech resonator. This ensures the best resonance - a necessary condition for the pronunciation of vowel sounds. Interestingly, the drooping larynx is a disadvantage: unlike other primates, humans cannot eat or drink and breathe at the same time without choking.

12 The thumb of our hand is well developed, strongly opposed to the rest and very mobile. Monkeys have hooked hands with a short and weak thumb. No element of culture would exist without our unique thumb! Coincidence or design?

13 Only man is inherent in true upright posture. Sometimes, when the monkeys are carrying food, they can walk or run on two limbs. However, the distance they cover in this way is rather limited. In addition, the way monkeys walk on two limbs is completely different from walking on two legs. The particular human approach requires the intricate integration of the many skeletal and muscular features of our hips, legs, and feet.

14 Humans are able to support their body weight on their feet while walking because our hips converge towards our knees, forming a unique 9-degree load-bearing angle with the tibia (in other words, we have "knees out"). Conversely, chimpanzees and gorillas have widely spaced, straight legs with a bearing angle almost equal to zero. These animals, while walking, distribute their body weight on their feet, swaying the body from side to side and moving with the help of the “monkey gait” familiar to us.

15 The human brain is far more complex than the monkey brain. It is approximately 2.5 times larger than the brain of higher monkeys in terms of volume and 3-4 times in mass. A person has a highly developed cerebral cortex, in which the most important centers of the psyche and speech are located. Unlike apes, only humans have a complete sylvian sulcus, consisting of anterior horizontal, anterior ascending, and posterior branches.

How did this erroneous figure come about? First, only those regions of DNA that code for proteins were compared. and this is only a tiny fraction (about 3%) of all DNA. In other words, the remaining 97% of the DNA volume was simply not taken into account when comparing! Here is the objectivity of the approach! Why were they ignored in the first place? The fact is that evolutionists considered non-coding sections of DNA "junk", that is, "useless remnants of past evolution". And this is where the evolutionary approach failed. Per last years science has discovered the important role of non-coding DNA: it governs the work of genes encoding proteins, "turning on" and "turning off" them. (Cm. )

Today, the myth of 98-99% genetic similarity between humans and chimpanzees is still widespread.

It is now known that differences in gene regulation (which are often difficult to even quantify) are at least important factor, which determines the difference between humans and monkeys, than the sequence of nucleotides in the genes itself. Not surprisingly, large genetic differences between humans and chimpanzees continue to be found precisely in the initially ignored non-coding DNA. If we take it into account (i.e. the remaining 97%), then the difference between us and chimpanzees rises to 5–8%, and possibly 10–12% (research in this area is still ongoing).

Secondly, in the original work, no direct comparison of DNA base sequences was made, but rather crude and inaccurate method was used, called DNA hybridization: individual sections of human DNA were combined with sections of chimpanzee DNA. However, in addition to similarity, other factors also affect the degree of hybridization.

Third, in the initial comparison, the researchers took into account only base substitutions in DNA, and inserts were not taken into account, which contribute greatly to the genetic difference. In one of the comparisons of a given section of chimpanzee and human DNA, taking into account inserts, a difference of 13.3% was found.

Evolutionary bias and the belief in a common ancestor played no small role in obtaining this false figure, which significantly slowed down the receipt of a real answer to the question of why man and ape are so different.

Therefore evolutionists forced to believe that for some unknown reason, hyper-fast evolution took place on the branch of the transformation of ancient apes into humans: random mutations and selection presumably created for a limited number of generations a complex brain, a special foot and hand, an intricate speech apparatus and others unique properties human (note that the genetic difference in the respective DNA regions is much more than the common 5%, see examples below). And this is while, as we know from actual living fossils, .

So there was stagnation in thousands of branches (this is an observed fact!), and in the human genealogy there was an explosive hyper-rapid evolution (never observed)? It's just unrealistic fantasy! The evolutionary belief is untrue and contradicts everything that science knows about mutations and genetics.

1. The human Y chromosome is as different from the chimpanzee Y chromosome as it is from the chicken chromosome. In a recent comprehensive study, scientists compared the human Y chromosome with the chimpanzee Y chromosome and found that they "surprisingly different". One class of sequences within the chimpanzee Y chromosome differed by more than 90% from a similar class of sequences in the human Y chromosome, and vice versa. And one class of sequences in the human Y chromosome in general "had no counterpart on the chimpanzee Y chromosome". Evolutionary researchers expected that the structures of the Y chromosome would be similar in both species.
2. Chimpanzees and gorillas have 48 chromosomes, while we only have 46. Curiously, potatoes have even more chromosomes.
3. Human chromosomes contain genes that are completely absent in chimpanzees. Where did these genes and their genetic information come from? For example, chimpanzees lack three important genes that are associated with the development of an inflammatory process in the human response to disease. This fact reflects the difference between immune systems man and chimpanzee.
4. In 2003, scientists calculated a difference of 13.3% between the areas responsible for the immune systems. 19 The FOXP2 gene in chimpanzees is not speech at all, but performs completely different functions, having different effects on the work of the same genes.
5. The section of DNA in humans that determines the shape of a hand is very different from that of a chimpanzee. At the same time, interestingly, differences were found in non-coding DNA. The irony is that evolutionists, guided by the belief in evolution, considered such sections of DNA "junk" - "useless" remnants of evolution. Science continues to discover their important role.
6. At the end of each chromosome is a repetitive strand of DNA called a telomere. Chimpanzees and other primates have about 23 kb. (1 kb is equal to 1000 base pairs nucleic acid) repeating elements. Humans are unique among all primates, their telomeres are much shorter: only 10 kb long. This point is often overlooked in evolutionary propaganda when discussing the genetic similarities between apes and humans.

@Jeff Johnson www.mbbnet.umn.edu/icons/chromosome.html

In a recent comprehensive study, scientists compared the human Y chromosome with the chimpanzee Y chromosome and found that they are "surprisingly different." One class of sequences within the chimpanzee Y chromosome was less than 10% similar to a similar class of sequences on the human Y chromosome and vice versa. And one class of sequences on the human Y chromosome "had no counterpart on the chimpanzee Y chromosome" at all. And in order to explain where all these differences between humans and chimpanzees come from, supporters of large-scale evolution are forced to invent stories about rapid overall rearrangements and the rapid formation of DNA containing new genes, as well as regulatory DNA. But since each corresponding Y chromosome is single and completely dependent on the host organism, it is most logical to assume that humans and chimpanzees were created in a special way- separately, as completely different beings.

Important to remember, different kinds organisms differ not only in the sequence of DNA. As evolutionary geneticist Steve Jones said: “50% of human DNA is similar to the DNA of bananas, but this does not mean at all that we are half bananas, either from head to waist or from waist to toes”.

That is, the data indicate that DNA is not everything. For example, mitochondria, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum and cytosol are passed unchanged from parents to offspring (protection against possible mutations in mitochondrial DNA). And even gene expression itself is controlled by the cell. Some animals have undergone incredibly strong genetic changes, and despite this, their phenotype has remained virtually unchanged.

This testimony is a tremendous support for reproduction "after its kind" (Genesis 1:24-25).

Differences in behavior

To get acquainted with the many abilities that we often take for granted,

Primate hand

In most other mammals, the grasping organs are a pair of jaws with teeth, or two forepaws that press against each other. And only in primates, the thumb on the hand is clearly opposed to other fingers, which makes the hand a very convenient grasping device in which the remaining fingers act as a single whole. Here is a demonstration of this fact for you, but before proceeding to a practical experiment, read the following warning:

During the exercise described below, bending the index finger, DO NOT HOLD the middle finger with the other hand, otherwise you can damage the tendon of the forearm.

After reading the warning, place one palm on a flat surface with the back side down. Bend the little finger, trying to touch it to the palm. Pay attention to the fact that along with the little finger, the ring finger also rose, and its movement occurs automatically, regardless of your will. And in the same way, if you bend your index finger, then the middle one will move after it. This is due to the fact that the hand in the process of evolution has adapted to grip, and it is possible to grab something with minimal effort and maximum speed if the fingers are connected to the same mechanism. In our hand, the gripping mechanism is "headed" by the little finger. If you set yourself the task of quickly squeezing your fingers in turn so that they touch the palm of your hand, then it is much more convenient to start with the little finger and end with the index finger, and not vice versa.

These fingers are opposed by the thumb. In the animal kingdom, this is not uncommon, but in a few groups this feature extends to all members of the group. Opposite fingers are present in birds of the order Passeriformes, although in some species it is one finger out of four, and in others two fingers oppose another two fingers. Some reptiles, such as the branch-walking chameleon, also have opposable toes. In invertebrates, the prehensile organs take many forms, most notably the claws of crabs and scorpions, and the forelimbs of insects such as the praying mantis. All these organs are used to manipulate objects (the word "manipulation" comes from the Latin manus which means "hand").

Our thumb opposes other fingers only on the hands; in other primates, this feature extends to all limbs. Humans lost the opposing toe when they descended from the trees to the ground, but the size of the big toe still indicates its special role in the past.

Compared to all monkeys, man has the most dexterous hand. We easily touch the tip of the thumb with the tips of all other fingers, because it is relatively long. The thumb of a chimpanzee is considerably shorter; they can also manipulate objects, but to a lesser extent. When monkeys hang and swing from a branch, their thumb usually does not wrap around it. They simply fold the rest of their fingers into a hook and grab onto a branch with them. The thumb does not take part in the formation of this "hook". The chimpanzee grasps a branch with all his fingers only when walking slowly along it or standing on top of it, but even then, like most great apes, he does not so much grasp the branch as rests on the knuckles of his fingers, as when walking on the ground.

Chimpanzee hand and human hand.

Primates have another evolutionary tool for manipulation on their hands. In most of their species, the claws have evolved into flat nails. Thus, the fingertips are protected from damage, but the fingertips retain sensitivity. With these pads, primates can press on objects, grab them, and feel any surface, even the smoothest, without scratching it. To increase friction, the skin in this area is covered with fine wrinkles. That is why we leave fingerprints.