Why do we have finger/toe nails?

Question

What`s the point???

Answer 1

well I don't really know but the other day my brother was opening one of those really hard to open plastic packages with a knife. Already not sounding good right? Anyway he slipped and cut his finger and half of his nail off! If his nail wouldnt have been there he would have cut the tip of his finger off. OMG it was gross and he was screaming, but don't worry he is totally fine now.

YaY fingernails

Answer 2

I am a water character. I love to visit the seashore or dive into swimming swimming pools. This is without doubt one of the fundamental factors why I like to put on blue on my toenails and my fingernails as good. I additionally love watching out on the horizon on the seashore, wherein 2 specific sunglasses of blue unite the sky and the water. I believe it have to sound truly Transcendentalist, however the ones instances are probably the most peaceable for me. :D

Answer 3

The fossils of the earliest mammals indicate that they had five separate
digits on each of their four feet. As explained in Chapter 2, this was a
primitive feature. Fossil remains of various types of later mammals show
feet and hands that evolved into hooves for running, feet for digging,
wings for flying, or flippers for swimming. Mammals whose feet and
hands had fewer than five digits were said to show advanced features.
However, one group of mammals—the primates—through natural selec-
tion kept five digits on their feet and hands. In fact, these digits became
even more fully developed. Eventually the thumb could bend over and
easily touch the forefinger. This is called an opposable thumb; all pri-
mates have this feature. (See Figure 4-3.) What was the great advantage of
an opposable thumb? How did this kind of thumb contribute to primate
evolution through natural selection? An opposable thumb could hold on
to tree branches. Primate evolution began with adaptations suited to an
arboreal life, that is, a life in the trees. An opposable thumb was a very
important adaptation for an arboreal way of life.
The order of primates includes prosimians, known as the “lower pri-
mates,” and monkeys, apes, and humans, known as the anthropoids or
“higher primates.” Many characteristics of modern primates are related to
their original arboreal way of living. For example, a baseball pitcher uses
an amazing shoulder joint, which first evolved to swing from one tree
branch to another. Primate hands—with their fingernails, opposable
thumbs, and strong, sensitive fingers—helped these animals hang on to
branches, hold food, and groom themselves.

A number of theories about the reasons for having toe and fingernails abound. Most relate to human evolution, suggesting that they are related to the claws which other members of the animal kingdom have. Fingernails especially are highly useful to perform daily tasks, and toenails sometimes come in handy as well, depending on the situation. While toe and fingernails may be vestigial remains of our wild past, most people who have lost nails agree that they are much more valuable than they look.

One theory about fingernails and toenails suggests that they are designed to protect the delicate nail bed. This supposition has been dismissed by many doctors, who point out that people who permanently lose nails develop tougher nail beds. It seems more likely that the delicate tissue or quick under the nail evolved in response to the presence of fingernails, rather than the other way around.

The more likely reason for the presence of fingernails and toenails is that they are useful. Fingernails help humans to scratch things, peel fruit, open things, pick away the outer layers of other edibles, undo knots, and perform a variety of other tasks. In a more distant past, fingernails probably assisted humans with the capture of body lice, as is still seen among the great apes. When the feet were used more like hands, toenails served a similar function, helping humans to open vital food objects, strip bark to build structures, and other such things.

Fingernails help the hands to grip things and start rips and tears. If you remain unconvinced of the usefulness of fingernails, try trimming them to the quick or covering them in tape for a day. Having fingernails out of commission makes it much more difficult to scratch itches, clean the hair and scalp, open foods, and perform a wide variety of delicate manipulations with the hands. Toenails may not be quite as useful, but when you imagine the feet as hands, their presence makes much more sense.

Like the hair, fingernails are made out of keratin, a type of protein. If the nails are weak and brittle, higher amounts of keratin should be ingested: a common source is gelatin, a food product derived from the hooves of animals, which also contain keratin. An increase in the level of keratin consumed will lead to healthier skin and nails which will serve the user better for daily tasks. Nails should also be well cared for: the cuticles should be kept trim and the area underneath the nail before the quick should be scrubbed to eliminate accumulated dirt and bacteria which gather there during the day.

Answer 4

because God gave them to us!

I use my fingernails for many things: scratching my (whatever is itching at that moment), scratching my cats and dogs...seems to make them happy, scratching my husband's back, which makes HIM happy! I use the nails on my right hand as fingerpicks while playing my guitar and dulcimer, Oh, the list goes on and on.
My toenails are not my favorite things cause they are getting old looking and oh well, enuf about that!

Answer 5

We have toes to balance us as we walk & we have fingers to help us write, eat, etc.

Answer 6

To protect your finger tip.

Answer 7

to protect the sensitive nerve endings on our fingertips and toes

Answer 8

Defense? You can scratch somebody.