Recently smashed my finger and lost the nail and it got me wondering what is the biological / mechanical / etc function / reason for fingernails? Sure it would be harder to grip little things, but is there a structural reason why our digits need these things?
EDIT: Follow up question. What is different about the skin underneath your nail that makes it so painful when initially exposed to air?
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We don’t just feel on our finger tips, we feel based on the pressure of our skin being pressed against our nail. So without finger nails, we wouldn’t be able to feel how well we are grabbing items. Especially if we want to delicately pick them up.
Just tap your fingers together and you will notice how you actually feel pressure against your fingernail.
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