Quote by Stephen Jay Gould

I had learned that a dexterous, opposable thumb stood among the hallmarks of human success. We had maintained, even exaggerated, this important flexibility of our primate forebears, while most mammals had sacrificed it in specializing their digits. Carnivores run, stab, and scratch. My cat may manipulate me psychologically, but he'll never type or play the piano.

I had learned that a dexterous, opposable thumb stood among

Summary

This quote highlights the significance of the opposable thumb in human evolution. The speaker emphasizes that the flexibility of the human thumb has played a crucial role in our advancements as a species. While other mammals have sacrificed this ability in favor of specialized functions like running, stabbing, or scratching, humans have retained and even enhanced the dexterity of our primate ancestors. The quote also humorously contrasts the limitations of animals, such as a cat, in terms of their inability to perform complex tasks like typing or playing the piano, despite their manipulation skills.

Topics

Science Cat Evolution Carnivore Panda Thumb

By Stephen Jay Gould

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

Here's how I've lived my life: I've never been late to a set

Here's how I've lived my life: I've never been late to a set. I make films I believe in. I feel privileged to be able to do what I love.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

Benjamin Franklin

The cruelest lies are often told in silence. A man may have

The cruelest lies are often told in silence. A man may have sat in a room for hours and not opened his mouth, and yet come out of that room a disloyal friend or a vile calumniator.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Deception/lying

Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A m

Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A much more urgent problem is to protect the consumer from the government.

Milton Friedman

I mean, is there a chance for me? To have another life after

I mean, is there a chance for me? To have another life after this, a better one?

Cassandra Clare

Will Herondale On The Bridge

The light came through the window, Straight from the sun abo

The light came through the window, Straight from the sun above, And so inside my little room There plunged the rays of Love. In streams of light I clearly saw The dust you seldom see, Out of which the Nameless makes A Name for one like me.

My mom, the fabulous Bertie Kinsey, is an amazing seamstress

My mom, the fabulous Bertie Kinsey, is an amazing seamstress. She quilts and sews and is so crafty. We call her the Southern Martha Stewart!

Who knows? Maybe years from now I'll be on a ranch in Colora

Who knows? Maybe years from now I'll be on a ranch in Colorado with 10 kids. The whole point of life is to experience a little bit of everything, and I think it's better when there are a few surprises thrown in.

Experience Life

The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits

The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly.

Henry David Thoreau

Yet, as great joy, especially after a sudden change and revo

Yet, as great joy, especially after a sudden change and revolution of circumstances, is apt to be silent, and dwells rather in the heart than on the tongue...http://www.literaturepage.com/read/tom-jones-914.html

Henry Fielding, The History of T

The speed of communication, the speed of information transfe

The speed of communication, the speed of information transfer, the cheapness of communication, the ease of moving things around the world are a difference in kind as well as degree.

Paul A. Volcker

A celebrity is one who is known to many persons he is glad h

A celebrity is one who is known to many persons he is glad he doesn't know.