By Gary Dickson
Have you ever pondered what makes humans human and different from the rest of our fellow animals? Surprisingly, the list is not very long. Of course, there are some people who don”t believe human beings are animals; like one of my youngest daughter”s elementary teachers some years ago. She chastised my daughter in front of the class for saying that human beings are animals. I guess that teacher slept through biology class.
Most people know and accept that we are animals. Human beings fall into the Animal Kingdom, the Vertebrate Phylum, the Class of Mammals and the Order of Primates, just like chimpanzees and gorillas. I suppose that last part is really hard for some people to accept.
According to Chip Walter, in addition to the human brain, there are six things that really stand out when considering what makes us human and more advanced than all of the other animals that we share this world with. Walter wrote that they are, “our big toe, opposable thumb, our oddly shaped pharynx and our abilities to laugh, kiss and cry.” Walter wrote an interesting and educational book about the things that make us human. The book is titled “Thumbs, Toes, and Tears.”
A characteristic that sets man apart from the other primates is the fact that we walk upright full time. Chimps and gorillas can waddle upright for short distances, but they usually ambulate with legs and arms. Humans walk and run like no other primate, due to our big toes. The apes” big toes are more like thumbs on human hands. They help them grab and climb, but they are not designed to help them walk on just their legs.
We humans evolved to have nearly 25 percent of our total bone count concentrated in our feet in order to support 40 percent of our weight and allow us to stand up for long periods of time. The entire system of muscles, tendons and ligaments in our amazing feet can withstand up to 6,000 pounds of pressure without a sprain.
Along with our big toes, our opposable thumbs also give us abilities no other animals have. Apes have opposable thumbs, too, but we humans have ulnar opposition. According to Walter, that fact “?gives our hands the power to grasp and grip, turn and twist, manipulate and touch in ways foreign to other creatures.” The use of thumbs, coupled with the amazing dexterity and sensitivity built into human hands allowed people to begin to build, create art and to write. Human hands helped lead to greater mind development. Robertson Davies wrote, “?the hand speaks to the brain as surely as the brain speaks to the hand.”
All animals communicate. But, when it comes to sophisticated communication, man became able to vocalize and develop languages primarily because we walked upright. Other animals, including primates have a pharynx, but the structure of ours evolved uniquely because we constantly stand up. That difference allows us to make a much larger number and range of sounds than all other animals.
Behavior-wise, Walter discusses three attributes that are distinctly human. It has been found that human beings of all races, even in the remotest parts of the planet, laugh. Walter wrote, “?it is one of those unique traits that distinguish us from the other animals.” Conversely, many animals cry, moan or whimper; but humans are the only animals that produce tears. And lastly, human beings are the only animals that kiss. Unlike laughter, kissing does not exist in all human cultures, but it is prevalent in many around the world.
The major differences between humans and other animals may come down to what can be counted on the fingers of just two hands, but those variances placed us a world apart from all other animals in what we can achieve and gave us the opportunity for continual progress.
Gary Dickson is the publisher of the Record-Bee. Call him at 263-5636, ext. 24. E-mail him at gdickson@record-bee.com.
