Why does the skin wrinkle from water - the destruction of myths?

We have been interested since the childhood why the skin is wrinkled with water. Sometimes we liked to look at our fingers after the bath. Parents answered simply - fingers absorbed water, and so they became like that. And we believed them. But it turns out that not everything is so unambiguous. After all, why do not other parts of the skin wrinkle? It would be logical that they should also absorb water. But this does not happen. In this article, we will try to understand the reasons for this behavior of our skin.

Why does the skin wrinkle with water?

So, what are the reasons for these changes in our fingers after a long stay in the water? The reason for everything is evolution. It turns out that this device turned out to be very useful for an ancient person. In some cases, only it allowed him to survive, or at least just slightly improve the quality of life.

This theory was suggested by Tom Smalders. He is a person engaged in evolutionary biology. So this topic is not alien to him. He says that no water is absorbed by the skin. Or rather, it happens. But the cause of wrinkled fingers is not this. Just when we hold our fingers for a long time in a moist environment, the vessels at their ends narrow. This leads to this effect.

How did it help to survive?

The role of this feature was invaluable. Man in antiquity had a lot to do with wet objects. And thanks to such a wrinkled skin, you can provide a more powerful grip. For example, a person caught a fish. It is very slippery. But thanks to this adaptation it can be held in your hand. In general, it helps in many cases:

• When you have to dig in the wet grass. There you can find a lot of delicious fruits or, for example, picking edible mushrooms.
• Hunting. When a person hunts, he needs to hold a gun. And this device helps during a rain to make a successful throw. And it's much easier to get into prey.

Here such advantage. So this property helps us now. The example is very simple. When we are in the bathroom, we need to take soap. It's slippery. And rough skin helps to solve this problem. It does not slip out of our hands, and we can wash normally. So it is impossible to call this feature of the ends of our fingers rudimentary.

Why are fingers not wrinkled all the time?

Why does the skin wrinkle with water, and not in this state forever? This adaptation is extremely important. Here, the opinions of scientists differ. But the most likely is only one of them. The fact is that with the wrinkling of the fingers, the neurons eat much worse, and the receptors located at the ends hide behind the folds of the skin. Consequently, tactile sensitivity, which normally helps us in a huge number of life situations, falls down significantly. Here are just some of them:

• Sensation of temperature.
• Understanding the texture of objects.
• Understanding their severity.

So if this adaptation would be permanent, and not only realized under the influence of water, blind people might not, for example, read. These are just some of the spheres. This adaptation has an exceptionally positive connotation.

Was this issue fully investigated?

In the meantime, we are waiting for new comments from the scientists. But in the near future they will not follow, since there are more important questions than why the skin frowns with water. At times, scientists make interesting discoveries in passing. Goals are not established, but we learn something new. Most likely, the scientists also found an answer to this question by chance.

So there is still much to strive for. It is important to understand that although this opinion dominates in science, it can change. Previously, people believed that just water was absorbed by the fingers.

Using the advantages that wrinkled fingers have in science and production

The revealed feature has already helped in science and in the production of ordinary things. However, it is unlikely that the information on why the hands of the water frown, pushed to the data development, but they have the same principle. What is the basis of non-slip? That's right, the force of friction. It was discovered by physicists a long time ago. And its application is found in a huge number of manufactured goods:

• Tires. Their task is just to ensure a close contact of the machine with a wet surface. If you look at their surface, it is very similar to the wrinkling of our fingers. Is not it so?
• A sole of shoes. Naturally, not every shoe becomes like wrinkled fingers. But if it is a question of a winter variant, then the principle is the same. Also this applies to slippers for the pool. There the floor is wet, so you need to ensure maximum grip of the sole with its surface. Therefore, the wrinkled skin on the toes. There the task is also very simple - do not slip. Naturally, this task does not perform well with bare feet. But this is already something.

We have analyzed the simplest examples that lie on the surface when analyzing the principle of action of the phenomenon examined. In fact, there is a huge number of other areas of its application.

conclusions

We figured out why the skin of hands and feet wrinkled when exposed to water. It turns out that the myth, in which we all believed, simply crumbles upon closer examination. But this version of why the skin wrinkles from water is much more logical. Let's see what the scientists will tell us. In the meantime, let's engage in useful things. Curiosity is curious, but you still need to know the truth. Otherwise, you will never have a subscription to the pool, and you will not experience this effect on yourself.