It’s simple: put your arm on a flat surface and stretch the palm of your hand; connect your thumb with the little finger and if a tendon is protruding as shown in the picture, there is a musclelong palmar, which other primate species such as oraguntan use effectively. People don’t use it. In fact, 14% of the population no longer have it.

evolution in action. When we talk about human evolution, we usually talk about milk. When stockbreeding was born 11,000 years ago, human beings (literally) started consuming milk from hunger, even though it was like a kick in the stomach. Humans, like the vast majority of mammals, can consume milk at a very specific time in their lives. As we age, the ability to produce lactase (and break down lactose) is lost.

About 7,000 years ago, evolution and luck began to unleash one of the greatest genetic revolutions in history: the ability to produce lactase throughout life. It was obviously such a good mutation that it’s spreading so fast, and now it seems normal to us in the West. Despite this, only 35% of humanity today can safely consume lactose. This is pure evolution in action, and of course it is not the only case.

A curious muscle called the palmaris longus. Most people have a muscle that originates from the medial epicondyle of the humerus and the fascia covering it and attaches to the palmar aponeurosis. However, its absence (congenital or post-operative) does not affect the function of the hand.

In fact, surgeons have used the palmaris longus tendon for many years to replace other tendons when they rupture: It is easy to remove and harmless to do. It helps flex the hand and tightens the palmar aponeurosis, but it doesn’t matter if it disappears because it plays a very weak role.

An evolution that moves faster and faster. As we said a few years ago, human evolution has not stopped. Moreover, there is reason to think that it is faster than ever before. The most obvious is that many more people are born than before, and luck can produce things that were previously extremely unlikely: once it happens, natural selection takes care of the rest. And yes, the tall palm grove is a striking example, but by no means the most important. The best (as always) is yet to come.