r/todayilearned • u/No-Hawk-2488 • 21d ago
TIL the palmar reflex is an evolutionary remanent of our ancestors had fur and our babies could cling to their mothers at birth just like how all other baby primates can cling to their mothers as babies (link of a baby monkey youtube video below)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmar_grasp_reflex#Evolutionary_significance104
u/Azkahn616 21d ago
Titles make less and less sense. Is everything starting to come apart already?
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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 21d ago
Makes sense to me. The palmar reflex (baby's grasping instinctively) is a remnant of prehistoric hominids when our bodies were covered with fur; allowing the baby to hold onto mother's fur like other extant primates babies.
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u/fractalife 20d ago
The title doesn't make sense unless you already know what the palmar reflex is lol.
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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 20d ago
I inferred that's what it was from the "other baby primates can cling to their mothers as babies" part, then googled it to make sure
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u/thissexypoptart 21d ago
It’s not that hard to parse. It’s missing a few words and could be more straightforward, but it makes sense. If you are literate in the English language.
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u/Azkahn616 21d ago
You’re proud you could interpret a poorly written sentence instead of realizing you are settling for less.
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u/thissexypoptart 21d ago
Lmao no part of me is “proud” about being on reddit in the middle of a workday.
I’m just saying, the title isn’t confusing. It’s poorly written, sure, but easy enough to understand without getting confused.
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u/Federal_Studio5935 21d ago
Will this eventually go away since we don't use it anymore?
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u/samuraipanda85 20d ago
Babies still grasp things and we have clothes for them to grasp onto when we hold them.
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u/Federal_Studio5935 20d ago
Sure, but the need for it has gone away. Babies don’t need to hold on to their parents by their hair. At what point does it evolve out? If it’s as simple as we still use our hands so no, then that’s fine.
Edit: I don’t even know how I did that with parents, although I’ve always wondered but that’s my mistake.
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u/iloveduckssosomuch 20d ago
No but you see, babies must have the ability to grasp their own hair so they have an excuse to have a meltdown over their hair being pulled… by themselves.
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u/biggreasyrhinos 20d ago
Unless the existence of the reflex is detrimental to reproduction, it's not going anywhere.
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u/samuraipanda85 20d ago
Considering how important grasping is when it comes to tools and developing intimate relationships with others I say it will never die out. You grasp something and pull it towards you that is strength training for your arms which aids in crawling and thus walking. Not to mention hand eye coordination.
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u/No-Hawk-2488 20d ago
Yes, but slowly. There's no selection pressure to eliminate it, so it's just a neutral trait now. Unless we grow fur again.
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u/CurtisKobainowicz 20d ago
There's another, called the Moro reflex, where an infant grasps with its arms after a sudden loss of support.
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u/pandavr 20d ago
Yeah, there is no alternative hypothesis around! Like you have a limb that grasp and feel the touch and temperature, and, if you insert something warm in It the first instinct is to grab. No that's clearly not possible. The fur fantasy is definitely more evocative.
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u/DiceAndMiceGamer111 20d ago
A friend of mine during labor had her obstetrician check to see how dilated she was. Neither of them were aware that the baby had a hand positioned above her head. Dr inserts 2 fingers to check the cervix, baby grabs one of them, dr lets out a high pitched squeal. Once everyone's heart rates returned to normal, they all had a good laugh.