Thumbs are a valuable feature of human anatomy. In the course of evolution, the arrival of prehensile creatures allowed for the development of skills beyond number. Think of the things you do every day--holding your toothbrush, stirring your coffee, zipping your jacket, grasping the steering wheel--and imagine trying to do those things without the use of your thumb. Thumbs are useful symbols, too--as in “thumbs up” to signify approval or thumbing one’s proboscis as an opposite reaction. Thumbs are valuable to hitch-hikers and to currency counters and to babies who appreciate a built-in pacifier.
Is the evolutionary path leading to still another assignment for thumbs? As text messaging takes over the civilized world, perhaps thumbs will become appendages like little styluses designed to fit on the tiny keys of a cell phone. Or maybe a sixth “finger” will emerge specifically for the task of texting. Typists used to be rated by the words per minute they could produce, as well as their accuracy; with texting, words per minute might be measured, but is there such a thing as accuracy? It appears that anything goes as long as the text sender conveys his/her message. RU OK withat?
