Thumbs Are the New Fingers for GameBoy Youth

An anonymous reader writes "Reuters is running an interesting story on how the use of gadgets such as mobile phones and GameBoys has caused a physical mutation in young people's hands. The use of the thumb is a deviation from the use of the index finger..."

Comments

Mutation?

[sketerpot]

I don't think that this is like a mutation. It's probably not able to be passed on to another generation unless Lamarck was right all along. Anyway, it's good that thumbs are getting more mobile. Still, I would doubt the scientific validity of a news release that calls this a "mutation".

Related Mutations...

[dbretton]

In a related story, my brother has developed this unique mutation where he has the ability to use his left and right arm with equal dexterity...

Thousands of young Chinese circus performers have mutated themselves to be able to manipulate and balance large balls with their feet.

I have mutated my left arm to be able to manipulate a kyboard, while having mutated my right arm to be able to manipulate a mouse with ease.

My group of coworkers and myself have managed to mutate our brains into being able to quickly write and read computer language syntax.

Amazing!

Re:This questions the old ideas about evolution

[cp99]

The problem with your list of textbooks (and hence evidence to support your claim) is that it doesn't include the context in which they use ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. Futuyama, for example, doesn't use teach that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, rather it mentions it (and Haekel's diagram's, in later editions) in context of the history of evolutionary thought.

I haven't read the other textbooks, but given your misreperesentation of Futuyama's textbook, I would be very surprised if you have the context correct.