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Video: Essays on Reality, Chapter 2

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CuriousLurker1/13/2013 10:58:01 am PST

Evolution at work:

Proven: Pruney Fingers Give You a Better Grip

Standing in the shower or sitting in the tub, many of us have looked at our wrinkled fingertips and had occasion to wonder: Why do they get so pruney when wet?

Over the years, people have pointed to a number of explanations, most commonly the idea that the wrinkles are simply a reflection of the skin absorbing water. Now, according to a study published yesterday in the journal Biology Letters by researchers from Newcastle University in the UK, we have a definitive (and more interesting) explanation: Pruney fingers are better at gripping wet objects. […]