Science Lab Has APW Students All Thumbs

April 2, 2014 Submitted article

An opposable thumb lab had students at the Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Junior/Senior High School quite literally “all thumbs.”

The students in Janet Campbell’s tenth grade biology class have been studying evolution and the adaptation of humans.

Josh Hart, a tenth grade student at Altmar-Parish-Williamstown attempts to button a shirt without using his thumbs. The experiment was part of an opposable thumb lab exercise in Janet Campbell’s biology class. The students timed themselves performing several everyday tasks using their thumbs and then with their thumbs taped to replicate a non-primate animal. Josh’s partner and timekeeper for the exercise was Chris Douglas, seated.
Josh Hart, a tenth grade student at Altmar-Parish-Williamstown attempts to button a shirt without using his thumbs. The experiment was part of an opposable thumb lab exercise in Janet Campbell’s biology class. The students timed themselves performing several everyday tasks using their thumbs and then with their thumbs taped to replicate a non-primate animal. Josh’s partner and timekeeper for the exercise was Chris Douglas, seated.

The recent opposable thumb lab exercise had students exploring the adaptation of the human hand and our ability to grasp objects.

Students recorded their time performing several everyday tasks such as tying a string into a knot, removing and replacing a shoe, cutting a piece of paper, unbuttoning and re-buttoning a shirt and writing their name.

The students then taped up their thumbs to replicate a non-primate animal and performed the same set of tasks.

Students wrote an analysis of their findings including evidence that they discovered to support or refute their hypothesis of the question: How does the opposable thumbs adaptation help humans?

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