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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AH I know this one !
That’s for feedback. Try touching anything, and focus on your nail. You’ll feel that, while the contact does happen with the skin, the pressure is actually between your finger and your nail. This pressure allows you to measure strength. It makes your fingers more sensible for prehensibility, and eases your balance by making your feet more reliable thanks to distributed pressure.
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