Have you ever wondered why we have thumbs? Do you think only humans have thumbs? What if all animals had thumbs? Our thumbs are an example of an adaptation. Our hands evolved over time (much like our eyes and other distinct features) to serve a purpose critical to our survival as a species.
Our thumb is what makes our hands so useful and distinct. It is an opposable thumb, which means it can flex towards our other fingers, allowing us to hold and grasp objects. You can tell it is opposable because you can touch the tip of your thumb to each of your fingertips. Your cat may have five toes on each paw, but their “thumb” is not in opposition to the other toes meaning your cat can’t grab things like you can. Some cats, called polydactyl cats, have more than 5 toes on their paws!
We evolved to have this type of thumb so that we could pick up and hold tools. Tools were essential to our survival during our evolution because they helped us hunt, build, protect our families, etc. Our closest animal relative, the chimpanzee, also has opposable thumbs as well as most ape species. They are able to use rudimentary tools, peel bananas, efficiently climb, and build shelters all thanks to their thumbs!
It isn’t just monkey’s and apes that have opposable thumbs. Koalas, giant pandas, opossum, and frogs in the Phyllomedusa family are some more examples of animals with opposable thumbs. All these creatures have one thing in common: they all climb! Climbing was so important to their survival that the evolution of an opposable thumb was essential. Having thumbs helps them in a lot of ways. Imagine a panda grasping some bamboo, their main food, and you can see how the thumb benefits them. Opossums actually have thumbs only on their back feet specifically to help them climb super-fast. This is helpful for avoiding predators.
Can you imagine what your pets could do if they had thumbs? Instead of fetch, you could play catch with your dog because he would be able to catch and throw! I bet he could turn the doorknob and let himself out in the yard by himself too! Take a few minutes and imagine what life would be like if all our pets had thumbs! What about the opposite? Is there anything you would no longer be able to do without a thumb?
“From the Field”
Written by: Science Made Fun! on March 8, 2019 @ 10:00 am
Molecule Mike – “Sounds Like Fun” You can’t predict those purpose-affirming moments that often happen in classrooms. All it takes is one comment or thought-provoking question from a precocious student to remind you that making science fun and increasing science literacy is critical and impactful work. During a recent in-school field trip for 2nd graders […]
Tags: 2nd grade, abstract, courage, evergreen charter school, experiments, hands-on, imaginations, science, sounds like fun, tuning fork, vibrations
Catogories: Experiments: Science Made Fun, Hear It From A ScientistRead more
Limelight School Of The Week!
Written by: Science Made Fun! on February 19, 2019 @ 11:40 am
GRADE: 5th Grade TEACHER: Ms. Greggory PROGRAM: Meteorology Madness SCIENTIST: Meteor Martin This week’s LIMELIGHT SCHOOL OF THE WEEK IS……LaFayette Elementary School, Fuquay-Varina, NC Hello Scientists, I hope that everyone has had a scientifically wonderful week. Our Limelight school is none other that the legendary, Lafayette Elementary. I would like to begin […]
Tags: hands-on, HTHT, meteorology, RDU, science, weather
Catogories: Experiments: Science Made Fun, Limelight School of the WeekRead more
Black History Month
Written by: Science Made Fun! on February 15, 2019 @ 2:37 am
Black History Month As we celebrate Black History Month, remember the important contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout our nation’s history! Elijah McCoy was born in Canada to parents who were slaves and had escaped slavery by way of the Underground Railroad. His parents really wanted him to get a good education. But they could not […]
Tags: adventure, African Americans, black history month, discover, hands-on, HTHT, HTHT CLT, HTHT RDU, HTHT WNC, imagination, Inventors, science, science made fun, scientists, The Real McCoy
Catogories: HTHTRead more
Limelight School of the Week….
Written by: Science Made Fun! on February 12, 2019 @ 9:26 am
GRADE: 4th Grade TEACHER: Ms. Coleman PROGRAM: “Jurassic Classic” SCIENTIST: Meteor Martin This week’s LIMELIGHT SCHOOL OF THE WEEK IS……Pleasant Union Elementary School, Raleigh, NC. Hello Scientists!!! This week was packed full of fun and amazing lessons covering a wide variety of topics. The list included: having fun with sound, learning about […]
Tags: 4th grade, 4th grade science, dinosaur fossils, dinosaurs, experiments, hands-on, HTHT fo RDU, Jurassic Classic, Pleasant Union Elementary, science
Catogories: Limelight School of the WeekRead more
LIMELIGHT SCHOOL OF THE WEEK…..
Written by: Science Made Fun! on February 5, 2019 @ 9:48 am
GRADE: 3rd Grade TEACHER: Ms. DeChesere PROGRAM: Newton in a Nutshell SCIENTIST: Meteor Martin This week’s LIMELIGHT SCHOOL OF THE WEEK IS……Sandy Ridge Elementary School, Durham, NC. Hello scientists!!! I hope that everyone has had a fantastic week. I recently had the opportunity to visit a school for the very first time […]
Catogories: UncategorizedRead more
LIMELIGHT SCHOOL OF THE WEEK…..
Written by: Science Made Fun! on January 29, 2019 @ 10:00 am
GRADE: 4th Grade TEACHER: Ms. Ibrahim PROGRAM: Newton in a Nutshell SCIENTIST: Meteor Martin This week’s LIMELIGHT SCHOOL OF THE WEEK IS……Brier Creek Elementary School in Raleigh, NC. This week I had the opportunity to visit the 3rd graders in Ms. Ibrahim’s class out at Brier Creek Elementary School with our science […]
Tags: Brier Creek Elementary, hands-on, HTHT
Catogories: Hear It From A ScientistRead more
LIMELIGHT SCHOOL OF THE WEEK….
Written by: Science Made Fun! on January 22, 2019 @ 12:07 pm
GRADE: 3rd Grade TEACHER: Ms. Williams PROGRAM: Newton in a Nutshell SCIENTIST: Meteor Martin This week’s LIMELIGHT SCHOOL OF THE WEEK IS……Long Mill Elementary School in Youngsville, NC Hello Scientists, before I get into some detail about our Limelight school of the week, I wanted to tell everyone about a funny and […]
Tags: Elementary School, experiments, hands on fun, HTHT, HTHT RDU, Long Mill Elementary School, Meteor Martin, Newton in a nutschell, science
Catogories: Hear It From A ScientistRead more
“LIMELIGHT SCHOOL OF THE WEEK!”
Written by: Science Made Fun! on January 15, 2019 @ 10:00 am
GRADE: 5th TEACHER: Mr. Gilewicz PROGRAM: Meteorology Madness SCIENTIST: Meteor Martin Hello to all the Scientists out there! I hope that you all had a wonderful Holiday season and an even better start to the New Year. The New Year means it’s time for new adventures so at High Touch High Tech, we […]
Catogories: UncategorizedRead more
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Bumblebees
Written by: Science Made Fun! on December 21, 2018 @ 10:47 am
Bumblebees are a large and fuzzy insects and they are the most important pollinators in the echo system. We depend on these pollinators to transfer pollen between male and female flower parts. Their wing beating combined with their large bodies vibrates flowers until they release pollen, which is called buzz pollination. Buzz pollination helps plants […]
Tags: bumblebees, buzz pollination, experiments, facts, franchise, hands-on, HTHT, polinators, pollination, science
Catogories: Fun Fact FridayRead more