Opposable Thumbs!
Of course, when most people think of the advantages of primates, they think of opposable thumbs, reason being that this is the major physical distinction between other animals and primates. There is even a reference (perhaps multiple?) to the utility of opposable thumbs in the movie Madagascar 2.
In my study of what makes the opposable thumb so great, I clearly stumbled across some weak sources. For example, one site is telling me that sans opposable thumb, I would not only be unable to touch other fingers to each other (just tried it - untrue) but that moreover, picking up a piece of paper would be entirely impractical (don't even need to try it because I know from personal experience that is totally untrue - it makes very little difference whether you use your thumb after about 15 minutes of practice).
Phrased differently, this doesn't seem as unreasonable, although it still seems inaccurate: "The thumb, unlike other fingers, is opposable, in that it is the only digit on the human hand which is able to oppose or turn back against the other four fingers, and thus enables the hand to refine its grip to hold objects which it would be unable to do otherwise. The opposable thumb has helped the human species develop more accurate fine motor skills. It is also thought to have directly led to the development of tools, not just in humans or their evolutionary ancestors, but other primates as well. The opposable thumb ensured that important human functions such as writing were possible. The thumb, in conjunction with the other fingers make humans and other species with similar hands some of the most dexterous in the world."
For example, the only reason writing is easier is that we rest the instrument on the thumb. It doesn't have to be opposable for that. It could be a stick of wood.
Um, okay. Ignoring that this simply has not been my experience with my thumbs in the past (or is it as I sit here and play with them trying to figure out what all this could possibly be referring to) let's assume it's true. Thumbs are better tools than normal fingers. Great. But what's the HUGE advantage that allows man to rule the planet? The development of tools? Seriously? I mean, koalas essentially have opposable thumbs and they spend most of their time sleeping, the rest getting high on eucalyptus and being extremely aggressive towards anything that comes near them. What happened there with the god-like intervention of the opposable thumb? Ditto for pandas.
Onto some interesting randomness: monkeys have opposable thumbs that are higher up on their palms than their other fingers, which at the very least, could make some difference.
Finally, on my point that this all sounds like a lot of nonsense, please read the Onion's news-breaking article about dolphins developing opposable thumbs and how this clearly means that we will no longer be a superior species. Seriously folks, it's a thumb. It doesn't do much. People get by just fine without them. Weirdly, I have to make an argument I'm uncomfortable with here, which is that the whole focus on opposable thumbs and their greatness is a reactionary stance by educators attempting to justify an evolutionary curriculum as important to science. I am totally for teaching evolution, but not at the expense of spouting nonsense or overinflating borderline irrelevant issues. Yes, the opposable thumb is useful. No, it is not some panacea that separates us from other animals and no, it should not be used as a political ploy that poisions and confuses childrens minds. Just tell them about the findings on the Galapagos, explain how certain people drew other conclusions from that and move on. Enough with the ridiculous opposable thumb nonsense.
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