Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: thedoc on 02/11/2016 16:23:01

Title: Why does the skin on my fingers wrinkle when I stay in the water too long?
Post by: thedoc on 02/11/2016 16:23:01

Neena Rama Geffen asked the Naked Scientists:
   Why does the skin on my fingers wrinkle when I stay in the water too long?
What do you think?

Title: Re: Why does the skin on my fingers wrinkle when I stay in the water too long?
Post by: Janus on 02/11/2016 22:57:43

Its an evolutionary adaptation.  The wrinkling increases your ability to grip objects under wet conditions, thus the body is conditioned to cause those wrinkles under the proper stimulus.  One of the clues that led to this conclusion was that people with nerve damage did not get this wrinkling when their hands were soaked in water.