Thumbs Are the New Fingers for GameBoy Youth

An anonymous reader writes "Reuters is running an interesting story on how the use of gadgets such as mobile phones and GameBoys has caused a physical mutation in young people's hands. The use of the thumb is a deviation from the use of the index finger..."

Seriously? Mutation?

[Will_Malverson]

So, an invention caused a DNA change? Try "adaptation", Reuters.

Of course, these are the people that won't call a suicide bomber who kills 3000 people a "terrorist".

Re:Seriously? Mutation?

[dominion]

Okay, as much as they fucked up with the whole "mutation" thing, you can't say that their refusal to use the word "terrorist" is not noble, at least within the context of journalism.

Reuter's editorial policy is that they will never use the term "terrorist" or "freedom fighter" or whatever, unless they are quoting. The goal is to be objective, and since Reuters is an international news service, they cannot afford to be US-centric or centered on the terminology of any nation.

Remember, one person's terrorist is another person's freedom-fighter. The word terrorist is very loaded. Reclaim The Streets! parties have been labelled terrorists simply for dancing in the streets. The French resistance against the Nazis was also called terrorism. It would be unethical, in the context of objective journalism, to use any government's definition of terrorism, so Reuters simply refuses to use the term, unless they are quoting.

Now, honestly, is that so bad?

(I do agree that journalism can never be truly objective, which is why I support media projects like the Independant Media Center, which wear their bias on their sleeves, but that's a debate for another day)

Yaay!

[perdida]

I really like your comment, and if I had five moderation points I would give them all to you.

I believe that journalism is never objective, and that much of the best groundbreaking journalism is honestly partisan.

Consider that many of the reporters in a given area who attempt to cover both sides are stuck in a capital city listening to spokespeople. A war correspondent who covers the force of one side will have much more insight into that limited aspect of the conflict.

I see each news as a piece - when I write an article it's a "piece.." I put the pieces together, attempting to triangulate for various kinds of bias, when I read the news.

Re:Seriously? Mutation?

[crucini]

Here is a discussion of different definitions of terrorism. [crf-usa.org] Whatever definition you accept, it is a highly charged and ambiguous word. This page [ict.org.il] goes deeper into the subject and contains a fascinating interview snippet with a State Department official. While seeming to have a clear definition of terrorism, the official evades questions and ultimately states, "I do not think it will be productive to get into a description of the various terms and conditions under which we are going to define an act by the PLO as terrorism."

In other words, the US reserves the right to define terrorism as it goes. I can't blame Reuters for steering clear of this word.

Re:Seriously? Mutation?

[Loligo]

>Remember, one person's terrorist is another
>person's freedom-fighter

Whose freedom was being fought for when the airliners flew into the World Trade Center?

I keep hearing this little soundbite, and nobody has been able to answer that question.

-l

Re:Seriously? Mutation?

[fanatic]

you can't say that their refusal to use the word "terrorist" is not noble, at least within the context of journalism.

Oh, yeah, there was at least one daycare center at WTC. Still think this wasn't terrorism, fuckface?

Re:Seriously? Mutation?

[fanatic]

I agree it was exactly like the terrorism carried out in Afghanistan by the US government

The Afghanistani government had almost a month to hand over the terrorists and disband the terrorist training camps, to head off coalition action. They did neither. And I'm still waiting for the first shred of evidence that USA delberately targetted civilians, whereas terrorists nearly always do so.

The palestinians are the fathers and mothers of terrorism. Thier policies are the direct cause of their problems. They had the best chance they could ever expect to resolve their issues, get a Palestinian state, get Israel to withdraw from 97% of the land they took (in self-defense) in '67 - and they turned it down. Why? Because that agreeement still would have left an Israel in existence, which is against the PLO charter and not tolerable to the Palestinians. It's a same their people pay for the evil of their leaders, but it IS their leaders who have borught this on them.

Re:Seriously? Mutation?

[nucal]

Lamarckian inheritance lives!

It says is was a 'Research'

[ackthpt]

That must mean it's true.

New research carried out in nine cities around the world shows that the thumbs of people under the age of 25 have taken over as the hand's most dexterous digit, said The Observer.

My research shows I've become very adept at casting spells in video games.

Oh, and sorry about turning any readers into a newt, this morning, I'm still working on that one.

Re:Seriously? Mutation?

[Ms.Taken]

They never said there was a genetic mutation. Their use of the word was perfectly correct.

Mutation [dictionary.com]
1. The act or process of being altered or changed.
2. An alteration or change, as in nature, form, or quality.
3. Genetics.
1. A change of the DNA sequence within a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not found in the parental type.
2. The process by which such a change occurs in a chromosome, either through an alteration in the nucleotide sequence of the DNA coding for a gene or through a change in the physical arrangement of a chromosome.
3. A mutant.
4. Linguistics. The change that is caused in a sound by its assimilation to another sound, such as umlaut.

Re:Seriously? Mutation?

[NanoGator]

I think Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles altered the general perception of the word mutation a bit. All kidding aside, I can imagine a 20 year old today having a different idea about it than the 40 year old who wrote this article.

Re:Seriously? Mutation?

[oo7tushar]

Not really, when you consider a mutation it happens in the next generation (unlike cancer). A mutation in a single cell in the hand will not cause the physical structure to change. The continued use of it in a particular way will cause the physical structure to change but it will not be passed on to future generations.

In case you wanted to know, cells that eventually go on to become sperm and eggs are actually segregated early in the embryonic stage. Thus, any genetic changes that happen to a person during their life will not be passed on to the next generation.

This is why...

[laeraun2]

cows don't play Nintendo - No opposible thumbs.

Re:This is why...

[Wolfier]

Dude, you don't need opposible thumbs to play nintendo. Put it on the floor and you can control it with your nose and tongue!

Not a mutation

[Jonathan]

It is possible that the use of hand-held devices make one's own thumbs more dextrous, but that certainly doesn't cause a mutation, which is a genetic change. That would be Lamarkian inheritance of accquired characteristics. Both Slashdot and the article are using a completely incorrect term.

Re:Not a mutation

[bloggins02]

MODERATORS!!! Are you on crack? This is in no way "off-topic". The shift in allele frequencies to favor this trait through evolution would:

a) not have happened yet, there hasn't been enough time

b) not happen at all. How does scoring more points on your gameboy increase your reproductive fitness?

Thus, the only way to posit that the latest generations have somehow developed a "mutation" which causes their thumbs to be more nimble is to invoke Lamarkism (which is primarily the view that acquired changes in the genetic code are inhereted by the next generation). This view has been refuted in so many ways it's not even funny, and for slashdot and the publication to use the word "mutation" clearly shows a lack of understanding of the fundamental processes of evolution.

Why not try the more obvious approach: those people who have had to use their thumbs in more exacting roles tend to increase their skills in the use of their thumbs.

Would you say it was a mutation that was causing all piano players to have more dextrous hands?

Re:Not a mutation

[Anonymous Coward]

b) not happen at all. How does scoring more points on your gameboy increase your reproductive fitness?

Come on, you must be kidding!

I've lost the count of the number of times I've heard "no sex till you share your pokémons with me"!

Being able to catch strange creatures give you a definitive advantage (some call it sex-appeal).

Re:Not a mutation

[apg]

How does scoring more points on your gameboy increase your reproductive fitness?

Those Verizon Wireless ads seem to make it pretty clear that people who are better at sending text messages get all the hot chicks.

Re:Not a mutation

[jdavidb]

This is the worst misuse of the word "mutation" since TMNT.

Re:Not a mutation

[Daniel]

What I really wonder is how all those 10-year-olds learned to use set! on their thumbs..

Daniel

Re:Not a mutation

[ConceptJunkie]

The article clearly says "physical mutation" and in no way implies anything genetic going on.

Nothing wrong with that use of the word.

Re:Not a mutation

[1984]

That may be true, but it's clumsy and journalistically incompetent to take a common or implied meaning and not explain that you're not using that meaning. The Slashdot headline implies Lamarckism. If you don't mean to imply something, qualify it or use phrasing that doesn't imply it in the first place. Pointing loftily to less common meanings as an excuse for clumsy wordplay is shoddy.

Re:Not a mutation

[sjames]

That may be true, but it's clumsy and journalistically incompetent to take a common or implied meaning and not explain that you're not using that meaning.

Agreed. I strongly suspect that the word 'mutation' was chosen specifically to be correct on a technecality and produce a sensational headline.

More properly, they should have said that thumbe are adapting to new uses (hardly surprising).

Re:Not a mutation

[Happy Monkey]

Or that people who use their thumbs a lot get good at it. Even less surprising.

Re:Not a mutation

[colmore]

However, this article is about a scientific study, and in science, especially when talking about an *adaptation* the word "mutation" has a very specific connotation.

They could have easily phrased themselves better.

Uh no...

[kypper]

Well, far be it for me, a biochemistry student, to argue with a dictionary that gives an overall definition of each word, but... you're wrong.
Mutation is a genetic alteration at the cellular level; what these people are doing is training their bodies, in this case, their thumbs, in such a way that they have better control. You could technically paint with your toes as well (many people do it) but it's not a mutation.
A mutation is a random alteration of one or more chromosomes in the nucleus of the cell resulting in different productions/responses.
Nor is the parent of your comment correct, either; a mutation does NOT have to be in the germ line cells in order to be a mutation (in which case the mutation would be transmitted to offspring). Mutations can occur in standard mitotic cells and never be passed to offspring; Lemarkian inheritance has nothing to do with anything, but especially not with mitotic cells. I think we all know that a 'mutation' for the dexterity of the thumb is not occuring in the 'balls' of the 'gentlemen' who use technology and then father offspring.

Re:Uh no...

[56ker]

Here's a link to the original story - original story [observer.co.uk]. In it mutation is not mentioned at all - which makes me think it was added when the article was re-written at Reuters - then the mistake added. Strangely the /. headline is the original Observer one & not the Reuters one.

Re:Uh no...

[mutende]

In [the original story] mutation is not mentioned at all [...]

Oh no?First paragraph in the article reads:

Use of hand-held technologies, such as mobile phones, GameBoys andc omputers, has caused a physical mutation in the under-25s, according to new research.

.

Re:Uh no...

[mutende]

I was sure at the time the article was different!

Perhaps it has mutated? :-)

Then again, in an earlier refererence [motorola.com] to Plant's studies, the acquired thumb skills seem to play only a minor rôle.To quote from the article:

• Personal Power: Cell phones have given people a new-found personal power, enabling unprecedented mobility and allowing them to conduct their business wherever they go.
• Gender Differences: Females tend to value their cell phone as a means of expression and social communication, while males tend to use it as an interactive toy. However, evidence suggests that males are becoming far more chatty and communicative as a result of cell phone use.
• Male Status Symbols: Men have a tendency to display their cell phones more proudly, using them to display their aggression in front of other men, and almost like a mating ritual in front of women.
• Stereotypes: Dr. Plant identified six distinctive types of cell phone users based upon common traits and characteristics, and compared these types with six different kinds of birds. Owls, for example, tend to keep their cell phone use to a minimum, making and taking only necessary calls, while starlings tend to be more aggressive, pushing their way through crowds while talking loudly on their cell phones.
• Innies and Outies: There are two distinct types of cell phone users - ``innies'' are quiet, discreet and unobtrusive with their mobile conversations, while ``outies'' are louder and less concerned with the perceptions of people around them.
• Secret Phones: Many cell phone users keep a secret second phone to conduct love affairs or clandestine business deals, or even just as a hotline between friends.
• The Thumb Generation: Texting has had a profound effect on the way teenagers use their thumbs in some regions. Because they are used to tapping out numbers and messages with their thumbs, they now point and even ring doorbells with their thumb instead of their forefinger.

Thus the thumb dexterity is mentioned as the last item on the list, and the word mutate doesn't appear at all...

Detective Work; I have uncovered bullshit

[sam_handelman]

You can find the exact text of the original "research", such as it is, here [motorola.com]. Google dwells in the sky and rules us.

The thing is a glossy advertising sheet which motorala purchased - NOT a research paper. The word "Data" DOES NOT EVEN APPEAR. Likewise, the words power, mean and measurement, and the letter n, are nowhere used in any statistical sense. The "research" seems to involve no hard numbers WHATSOEVER. The report has no references, although the author has peppered it with the names of her friends, along with vague, sweeping claims about the results of their "research" (if you can find evidence anywhere of where this supposed work was reported, by all means, post!) If there was ever any primary data associated with this report, it is not here and I cannot find it, although Dr. Plant includes a dozen glossy photographs she took herself. Dr. Sophie Plant, the author of the article, has quit her job at the University of Warwick's cybernetic culture research unit (a fact reuters also glosses over) in order, supposedly, to write full time.

Incidentally, the cybernetic culture research unit [ccru.info], established by Dr. Sadie Plant (author of the report), seems to do a lot of, yes I will keep the quotes, "research" into the experiences of people abducted by UFOs. Their homepage reads like the ravings of a new age schizophrenic [ccru.info].

This paper is absolute vapor; even in the field of Sociology is stands out for it's lack of substance.

Re:Uh no...

[Graspee_Leemoor]

"Male Status Symbols: Men have a tendency to display their cell phones more proudly, using them to display their aggression in front of other men, and almost like a mating ritual in front of women. "

WTF? they use their phones to "display their aggression"????

LOOK AT MY FUCKING SAMSUNG FLIP-PHONE. I SAID LOOK AT IT YOU FUCKING CUNT! LOOK AT IT OR I'LL SMASH YOUR FUCKING FACE UP, YOU FUCKING GAYLORD!

graspee

dict.org

[Sc00ter]

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) :

Mutation \Mu*ta"tion\, n. [L. mutatio, fr. mutare to change: cf. F. mutation. See Mutable.]
Change; alteration, either in form or qualities.

The vicissitude or mutations in the superior globe are no fit matter for this present argument. --Bacon.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) :

Mutation \Mu*ta"tion\, n.
1. (Biol.) Gradual definitely tending variation, such as may be observed in a group of organisms in the fossils of successive geological levels.

2. (Biol.)
(a) As now employed (first by de Vries), a sudden variation (the offspring differing from its parents in some well-marked character or characters) as distinguished from a gradual variations in which the new characters become fully developed only in the course of many generations. The occurrence of mutations, and the hereditary transmission, under some conditions, of the characters so appearing, are well-established facts; whether the process has played an important part in the evolution of the existing species and other groups of organisms is a disputed question.
(b) The result of the above process; a suddenly produced variation.

From WordNet (r) 1.6 :

mutation
n 1: an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration [syn: mutant, sport]
2: the process or event of mutating

Re:Not a mutation

[sjames]

But they are talking about a change of the use of the thumb in the article - not a physical change in it.

Interestingly, there could be a physical change.It is known that digits will adapt to their primary use. For people who use their feet in a hand like manner (for reasons including the lack of hands) the toes lengthen and take on a distinctly finger like appearance over time. The same thing happens when a toe is moved to the hand to replace an amputated finger.

Re:dictionary.com

[khuber]

1. The act or process of being altered or changed.
2. An alteration or change, as in nature, form, or quality.

Why don't you go look up "connotation" and "denotation" in your fancy computer dictionary too, cut and paste boy.

P.S. you forgot to paste entries 3 (genetics) and 4 (linguistics).

-Kevin

Mutations are grrreeeat!

[JoshKOTW]

Except for the fact that our eyesight is going down the tubes for playing all these games. We are going to be the most versatile group of half blind geeks around. I know personally I'm only in my early 20's but have been playing games since I could pick up a controller and I'm having some problems with my hands lately. If I don't use an ergonomic keyboard I'll be in major discomfort for a few days. I've started taking Vioxx as an anti-inflammatory for my right thumb and index finger. I must be overworking these. I don't know about other geeks out there but I get scared about my hands cause these are my livelyhood and how I bring home the $$. I lose a finger or two and I'm SOL. So a message to geeks of tomorrow: Protect the digits at all costs!

Re:Mutations are grrreeeat!

[Stenpas]

Spending 8-16 hours on the computer per day, I can relate. I've had to take steps to decrease the wear and tear I've been putting on my hands and eyes. Here's what you can do:

eyes: My computer manual says to look away from the monitor at something 15 feet away a few times per hour and to take 5 minute breaks. This works. Also, eat a good amount of vitamins A, B2, and C. You'll eyes will love you for it. And before bed, just stare at the ceiling or wall for 10-15 minutes. This works really well for me. Looking at dark colors for a long period of time increases eyesight. Change the desktop to all black. You might want to also invest in an LCD screen. And keep the screen 18-24" away.

hands: Do whatever it takes to decrease the amount of keystrokes and clicks you do. Make your work more efficient. Make scripts, lots of them, and memorize those keyboard shortcuts! Mac users: set those F-keys to whatever you most frequently use. Most importantly, keep your hands on the keyboard, and don't use the mouse except when it's absolutely necessary, and don't use scroll wheels! Rest your palms when you type. And get a good amount of calcium.

You might want to invest in a good computer chair and a waterbed. Your back is just as important.

And you should buy quieter fans for your computer. Less noise means less stress, and all the problems that can cause. Or if you're really wanting to spend a lot of money, get one of those new flatpanel imacs. It's easy on the eyes (Apple flatpanels are some of the best around), you can place the monitor *exactly* where you want it, the keyboard's quiet, the fan is quiet, and it has an ultra efficient user interface.

Above all, do what's comfortable to you. And be sure to take notice of what's NOT comfortable, and take steps to make it comfortable, or to make it last not as long.

This might sound like a lot to do, but in the end you'll feel a lot better when you're working, and you'll save a lot of time so you can go home sooner and have fun. The key motto is to work smarter, not harder.

And if all else fails, get off of the computer.

Re:Mutations are grrreeeat!

[JoshKOTW]

nope, I follow the Randy Moss (WR) theory of effort. It is impossible to give more than 100% at any time so instead I follow the 50/50 rule. I'll give 50% effort, 50% of the time.

Mutation?

[asobala]

They're suggesting people have used thumbs so often that they are more skilled with using thumbs than index fingers. Not a mutation.

Re:Mutation?

[yintercept]

This is what will happen: Kids who have fast thumbs will excel at computers. Computers are now an important part in human mating rituals. This means that the fast thumbed kids of tommorrow will have more chances at mating, and will breed faster...making this a true genetic mutation. QED

Re:Mutation?

[kreyg]

They're suggesting people have used thumbs so often that they are more skilled with using thumbs than index fingers. Not a mutation.

In other words, touch-typing vs. hunt-and-peck. Wow, I'm shocked. Well, I am shocked that presumably intelligent people would a) study this and b) think the conclusion was amazing.

Hmm, I have mutated too?

[Wizard of OS]

In her research, Plant noticed that while those less used to mobile phones used one or several fingers to access the keypad, younger people used both thumbs ambidextrously, barely looking at the keys as they made rapid entries.

If I play a musical instrument then I don't look at my fingers anymore (either when playing the piano or guitar), does that mean that I have mutated in a musick playing monster? ;-)

I think the author mixed 'learning' with 'mutating'

Re:Hmm, I have mutated too?

[rde]

does that mean that I have mutated in a musick playing monster?
Only if you play the accordion.

Re:Hmm, I have mutated too?

[minusthink]

Yes. You obviously have an obligation to mankind to fight crime.

Well...

[Sc00ter]

So much for Evolution being over in humans [slashdot.org]. Seriously, it's adaptation to your surroundings not mutation, it's not like the games are hacking up the poor kids index finger or something.

Next thing you know we'll start seeing class action lawsuits to Nintendo and Nokia for making devices that are "mutalating" the youth of america.

Mutation?

[ksw2]

Just because somebody is dextrous with their thumb doesn't mean they are mutated... duh. News for nerds, yeah whatever.

physical mutation - pah!

[56ker]

A physical mutation would mean a cancerous growth - what I think this is is people's habits being changed as to which finger (or thumb) they use.

Re:physical mutation - pah!

[malkavian]

Umm.. No..
Every living being on the planet is the product of physical evolution.
Somehow, I don't think you could call everyone a cancerous growth.. Not unless you were feeling somewhat antisocial.

Re:physical mutation - pah!

[Graspee_Leemoor]

"Somehow, I don't think you could call everyone a cancerous growth.. Not unless you were feeling somewhat antisocial."

Or were an AI agent trying to piss Morpheus off after tying him to a chair and beating him up.

graspee

Old news

[tardibear]

See here [google.com] for articles from last year on this topic.

Is it a mutation or ....

[SwedishChef]

Is it merely a change in dexterity caused by practice? Does the Game Boy really cause, in less than one generation, a mutation in "young people"? Or is this more evidence that journalists cannot seem to grasp even the barest essentials of science?

exciting new research!

[xonos]

HEADLINE: People who use their thumbs more are able to use their thumbs better! Scientists are baffeled because of the "geek" tie in. There might be link between this and runners who run alot can run better. News at 11.

So, to sum it up...

[YouAreFatMan]

...people who use their thumbs more often have better coordination with their thumbs.

Can anyone say "slow news day" ?

Tomorrow on slashdot:
"People who type a lot don't even have to look at the keys"
"Study discovers that engineers better at factoring quadratic equations than grocery clerks"
"Musicians who practice more often are better musicians"

Re:So, to sum it up...

[|<amikaze]

You can factor a grocery clerk?

Re:So, to sum it up...

[kesuki]

Of course you can factor a grocery clerk. The grocery Clerk factor is perhaps the broadest of the retail clerk factors, since nearly everyone at some time or another must go to a grocery store to purchase food. The grocery clerk factor is a a basic method of calculating how long you'll have to wait in line, based on the time you go to checkout. since this factor can vary greatly, it can impact the entire day, by making you late for each subsequent appointment.
Based on my local research the worst times to approach a checkout are between 4pm and 8pm.

Re:So, to sum it up...

[killmenow]

Oh...my...must...catch...breath...someone...mod... up...

...whew, that was funny.

Re:So, to sum it up...

[Graspee_Leemoor]

" This amazes me. I can't see why they can't type properly - surely it would be the pragmatic thing to do to learn."

It's because if they decided to learn to touch-type they would initially be a lot slower than before and would have difficulty doing their job.

I picked a quiet time to switch to touch-typing dvorak from fast keyboard-watching qwerty, and at first it was like a character every five seconds...

graspee

Violin

[Scrameustache]

Yes, and violinists are a bunch of wrist mutants, using their wrist more dexterously than non-violinists.

In other news, body-building causes physical mutations! Body builders have been observed with muscles far more voluminous than those of non-body builders, a clear case of physical mutations.

In related news, train track cause physical mutations! Many children living near train tracks have been observed exhibiting a lack of lower apendages! The advance of mechanical transportation having rendered the function of legs as a primary locomotive means useless, the legs of some people are falling off in an incredible example of physical mutations!

Other mutations in recent history include the apparition of a new human tissue composed of a polymer envelopped filled with either silicon or a saline solution in the region of Los Angeles. These mutations are thought to be cause by the proximity of large amounts of cellulose films used in movie production. The difference in content of these new physical mutations are thought to be two separate evolutionary branches. Scientists expect the saline variant to be the more sucessfull evolutionary track.

Shoulder buttons did it to me

[evilned]

Back in the NES days I would use my index and middle fingers for the b and a buttons, the genesis controller was designed so I could do the same. But once shoulder buttons started to be on all controllers, from the SNES onwards, I couldnt pull that off. Now that the GBA has shoulder buttons, I cant think of a game system that you can reasonably use all the buttons with out using your thumb as the main button presser

Re:Shoulder buttons did it to me

[Jagasian]

For the NES, with fast paced games like Super Mario Bros, the correct "pro" way to hold the controller was with your thumb angled over both A and B buttons so that you could accurately press either button or both buttons. This allowed "twitch"-like reflexes. Using two fingures with the controller was far less common, and would give serious carpel tunnel symdrome to whoever tried playing like that for extended periods of time.

Thumbs

[jezreel]

Thumbs are one of the major evolutionary factors that are responsible for the state in which humankind is now.
The opposing thumb for handling tools, the brain and the upright walk.... So the fact that ppl excessively use their thumbs could be -if you look at it from another perspective- referred to evolution. Though the term 'mutation' is rather wrong here.

As long as we'll use keyboard we won't end up using just our opposing thumbs :-)

Re:Thumbs

[yintercept]

I am sure you have seen the Onion article on Dolphins Evolving Thumbs [theonion.com]...scary stuff.

left thumbs and videogames

[kisrael]

Well, as a dozen people have already pointed out, it's not a mutation. I suppose over generations, if the ability to quickly dial their social network members phone #s or impress potential mates with their Nintendo ability, we might see some evolutionary selection for this terrific thumbness, but it's gonna take a while.

Another, some what related idea: classic video gamers have often speculated about whether young people are now more dexterous with their left hand than they would be otherwise, given the new standard of having the primary joypad or stick be used by the left hand. This started, more or less, with the NES; most other systems were right handed (atari 2600) or ambidexterous (Intellivision, Colecovision, many video games)

fair use doesn't mean verbatim copying

[aozilla]

CmdrTaco writes: "An anonymous reader writes 'Reuters writes: "The use of gadgets such as mobile phones and GameBoys has caused a physical mutation in young people's hands. The use of the thumb is a deviation from the use of the index finger..."'"

Re:fair use doesn't mean verbatim copying

[dhogaza]

Oh, sure it does, quoting from a published work most certainly falls under the fair use provisions of copyright law here in the US, at least. And since slashdot's hosted here in the US, that's what counts.

Re:fair use doesn't mean verbatim copying

[aozilla]

Not if you do it for profit, don't put the quote in quotes (or otherwise show that it's a quote), and quotations are 100% of your derived work. That's called plagiarism.

Left-handed bacon turners

[coyote-san]

I know most left-handed individuals feel that many standard tools are awkward to use because of some subtle biases towards the right-handed majority. E.g., think about the standard manual can opener.

Will the "thumb users" find standard objects equally awkward to use? What about after some thumb-based tools have become widely available (e.g., I could imagine swapping out a standard keyboard for a thumbboard), since that will provide less exposure to finger-based devices?

Err, ever heard of Darwin or Francis Crick?

[SpinyNorman]

The Lamarckian theory that physical adaptations are mutations (i.e. hereditory) was debunked quite a while ago...

I'm used to /. running stories that are a bit old, but this is ridiculous!

Still, I guess I have the excitement of reliving the discovery of DNA on /. to look forward to.

Wow! Great news!

[k98sven]

If this is a mutation, then by simple
rules of evolutionary biology, it must mean
that people who play a lot of video games have a better chance of having offspring!

This translates to a lot of geeks getting laid!

I just *knew* my PS2 would get me chicks!

Re:Wow! Great news!

[k98sven]

Homosexuality is a mutation, but it certainly doesn't mean that homosexuals have a better chance of having offspring.

Seriously, two points:
1) AFAIK it is yet to be determined if
homosexuality is a genetic trait or not.

2) For a mutation to survive it does need to
increase your chance of having offspring, the
textbook example of this would be Sicle cell Anemia.
A person with the disease will probably not have
a better chance of having offspring. (It's a terrible disorder)
However, those who only carry the genetic trait for the disease
experience increased resistance to malaria.

This, on the other hand -does- give you a better chance at having live offspring.

Dance Dance Revolution?

[Lontas]

Does this mean playing Dance Dance Revolution will mutate me into a skilled martial artist?

Silly doctors, its not mutation lol

[HanzoSan]

Its called, building muscle!

Yes, you can build your muscles anywhere else in your body and its not mutation, body builders build up and they arent called mutants, of course someone who uses their thumbs alittle more than average, has somehow had a genetic mutation and all their childrens thumbs will grow in the same way.

lol

so....

[Emugamer]

does this mean the phrase "all thumbs" is now a compliment?

stigmata

[llamalicious]

Thank god someone finally went public with this.
For years now, I've noticed myself using my thumbs for everything: opening doors, eating, picking things up, and almost everything I use my hands for.
I've hid my hands in shame for so long now, thinking I was a freak. At least now I can take the mittens off... ~sniff~

I am Jack's right hand thumb being interviewed

[eamonman]

WTWF (World Thumb Wrestling Federation) Announcer: So how does it feel to be thumb of tech-kid of this current generation?

Hulk Thumb: I am the fastest, meanest, fight'n machine in the world. Thumbs in the old days might have been tougher and suntaned, with their hosts playing outside for amusement... But I, as the top thumb wrestler in this new day, I say that thumbs like me would have beat down all those old thumbs. I mean, during my sparring matches, my host doesn't even autofire! I use one of my moves, the 'Spastic Attack,' to pummel my training partner, Mr. A button.

WTWF: So are you challenging any and all older thumbs to a match?

Hulk: Gene, what did I say. I will destroy all comers. I am so agile, so powerful, that no one can avoid my pin.

'Digital' Darwinism

[KFury]

"Nyah, nyah. My thumb is more opposable than yours."

You young whippersnappers with your thumbs!

[RAVasquez]

I guess this explains why I can't play with any game pad for more than a minute without feeling like my thumb is going to break off. The young'uns have adapted to the abuse.

'Course, back in my day, I used to get a recurring blister on my right middle finger, thanks to the wear and tear caused by the old Midway joysticks.

Uh, a "physical mutation?"

[wadetemp]

I would generally call what they're describing "practice." It's not a mutation. Is it a mutation when people who normally bat right handed learn to bat left?

Natural result of changing interfaces

[Reziac]

Ignoring the nonsensical use of "mutation"... I've noticed that little kids use their thumbs like adults use their forefingers. But the current crop of kids are the first generation that grew up with buttons on EVERYTHING, and were introduced to it right out of the crib. How many kids nowadays have ever seen a rotary dial telephone?

I think it's the natural effect of a transition from gadgets where the forefinger or a thumb-and-fingers grip was the reasonable choice (such as rotary phone dials and rotary controls on TVs, stoves, etc) to gadgets that are button-driven, so any digit will do the job.

If you watch toddlers, you'll notice they try to press buttons with their thumbs far more often than they try to press them with an index finger. To a toddler, everything is for gripping (not for poking) so the gripping member (the thumb) is the natural choice.

If you grow up with buttons on every gadget in the house, it's likely that you'll continue to use your thumb, rather than getting retrained to use an index finger (as getting your thumb damnear ripped off by a phone's rotary dial will enforce in a hurry).

This is no different from the sort of retraining that happens with any interface transition. It just happens to coincide with a physical action that comes more naturally to little kids, hence is easy to continue doing as they grow up.

Not the first time technology has done this

[Anonymous Coward]

The QWERTY keyboard has also changed the priorities humans place on which fingers to use. 200 years ago we held teacups with our thumb and index finger; now we are much more likely to use the middle finger as well. Anybody remember Pac-Man Elbow? 2600 Joystick Blister?

In Other News

[MBCook]

It has been discovered that it isnow makes it 30% harder for the youth of today to thumb their nozes at other countries, for the same reason as the above article. Does this mean that gameboys are leading to world peace? Watch tonight at 11 as well reveal the amazing fact that most people who can talk are, in fact, alive!

you ain't kidding

[Eil]

I know this is getting off-topic, but it's something I just wanted to mention. The Original Article [observer.co.uk] for this story makes the quote:

'The mobile is fast becoming an essential prop in the social life of 20-year-olds,' she said. 'It has even become part of their mating display, with young men trying to impress women with the advanced technology of their phones.'

Everywhere I look, there are these young guys who hardly can't afford to eat because they spent all their money on clothing, cars, loud stereos, and mobile phones... flashy stuff, in other words. Material posessions to give the impression to the world that they're rich, successful, and smart. Every talk to one of them? They are dumb as rocks. They seem to be slaves to their self-image. And I'm not talking about the occasional paycheck-waster; where I'm currently living, this demographic accounts for something like 80% of the population of 18-25 year old males.

Given a figure like that, it shouldn't seem so out of the ordinary to me, but it does. Maybe it's because I'm perfectly happy with my '92 Mercury Topaz. Or that I don't feel I need/want a cellphone. Or because I haven't bought a thread of clothing in a year and a half.

I've attributed much of this to being a mating ritual, but (and I could be wrong here) I don't believe my mating habits are the same as these guys. I don't feel the need to impress anyone, female or otherwise. If they do happen to be impressed with me then great. But I'm not going to make a conscious effort to be attractive. (In my mind, the effort is usually not worth the gain.) It should be noted that I am in fact engaged, though I assume my fiance did not say "yes," due to my sexy Mercury Topaz.

the older generation

[mmusn]

The older generation has said for years that the younger generation is all thumbs. This research now proves it.

thumb-users support group

[Dr. Awktagon]

I have big hands and I've noticed that whenever using a gadget I use the ball of my thumb joint to push the buttons. ie, a hard spot at the first knuckle rather than the end of the thumb. It has gotton harder and more pronounced over the years (callused (sp)?) For instance on a camera with buttons on the back, I use the thumb joint to push the button. If I used the thumbtip I would probably mash two buttons by mistake.

Anybody else use their thumb this way? I haven't really thought about it until reading this story. Maybe I'm just a mutant.

Also the end of my thumb can bend 90 degrees in either direction.. apparently this isn't common either.

Left handed/right handed

[DGolden]

One thing - I grew up in the 1980s, using joystick input devices for computer games. I used the stick with my right hand.

Even keyboard-weenies use the cursor keys, which are usually on the right!

These days, all the games consoles have joypads, with the directional controller pad on the left.

In a species where 90% of the population is right-handed, why are joypad d-pads on the left?

Is it the same reason as those annoying arcade machine joysticks, a cheap-ass way to make the game last a bit longer by making it harder to play for most of the population?

Re:Left handed/right handed

[Graspee_Leemoor]

"Even keyboard-weenies use the cursor keys, which are usually on the right!"

Real men used WSAD for FPS so they can mouse with the right hand.

Waaassssssaaaaaaaaddddddd !

graspee

Nice work, editors.

[drinkypoo]

There actually IS a phenomenon where organs or limbs which are used more often during growth actually become larger to handle increased demand. It is not, however, evolution, and does not pass to the next generation. Anyone know what it's called?

I guess that this means that the gamers of today will be the uber-hitchhikers of tomorrow. And furthermore, it makes you pity any kids whose parents talked them out of masturbation...

This is not a mutation.

[Performer Guy]

At best this is a learned response. It is definitely NOT a mutation. I suppost "people learn to use thums more" is not as headline grabbing as "video games cause mutation". Junk science and junk journalism.

Re:This questions the old ideas about evolution

[shyster]

Evolution (as in "altering of physical form of whole populations of individuals due to external factors") seems much more likely to happen over a few generations. The "old school" is teaching us that evolution is happening only on course of hundeds or thousands of generations. This may not be the case actually.

It's not evolution! It's common sense! Use your thumbs more, and they'll become stonger, more flexible, and more dexterous. Not evolution, muscles.

Re:This questions the old ideas about evolution

[digitalunity]

It's not just about muscles. Dexterity is effected as much by brain development as is by muscle excersize. This isn't evolution or excersize. The brain has been trained since birth to improve and fine-tune it's sensory perceptions of the thumbs. Although this study shows that the thumb is more useful to those who grew up on video games, I personally show the other side of the coin: I didn't grow up on consoles. I grew up on computers. My 8 fingers are easily 100 times more dextrous than my thumbs. My right thumb is good at hitting the spacebar; my left being all but useless. It merely follows me around.

I've been able to type 80wpm since I was 9 and I doubt that this will change. In retrospect, my reliance on computers is a good reason why my handwriting is so illegible.

Re:This questions the old ideas about evolution

[Anonymous Coward]

First, this isn't really a physical mutation in the thumb, and it certainly isn't to the point where it is getting passed on genetically at this point. Far to earlier to even speculate about that.

Second, evolution on a large time scale has been old school for almost 30 years now. Gould et al came up with the term punctured equilibrium to identify the changes that occur in species over a geologically brief period of time as a result of adaptations. Unfortunately, because of the state of science/biology/evolutionary instructions in today's high schools and even universities, evolution is still taught as a straw man for creationists and ID to blow down. There are exceptions, of course, and I am referring specifically to introductory courses for the non-major. Many high schools don't teach evolution at all due to pressure from the creationists/ID people. And that is why this article so completely goofs.

Evolution is not understood

[HanzoSan]

Because no one knows what controls evolution, and saying the mysterious forces of nature control it, is as silly as saying the universe was created by a random big bang.

Nothing is random, if logic and science teaches you anything, thats what you learn first.

Second nothing is absolute, meaning nothing is for sure.

Third if its proven our actions control revolution, its saying we with our brains control our own evolution, so does this mean monks will be the most evolved because they spend their lives trying to master mind over matter?

Re:Evolution is not understood

[colmore]

A Refutation:

1) Nothing is random. Actually logic and science teach you the exact opposite. At a quantum level, everything is random, you don't know if a particular particle will decay at a given moment or not, and as far as science can tell, there is no way of knowing. In larger systems, tiny variables add uncertainty until the system becomes completely unpredictable. We will probably never have accurate 1 year weather forcasts. Theoretically if you knew the position and speed of every particle in the system (note: this is by definition impossible) you could theoretically predict, and perhaps if we knew the exact state of the world at 4 Billion BC, an infinitely powerful computer could predict the outcome of evolution. But since this is unimaginably difficult, the individual events that influence evolution, and the mutations that give it material to work with, are for all intents and purposes "random." *

2) Nothing is absolute, nothing is for sure. An arguable point. According to pragmatic philosophers at the turn of the (last) century, there is no absolute truth, and scientific knowledge in its current state represents the closest thing to an absolute that we have. This philosophy generally fell out of favor by the 30s. I don't really see what it has to do with your point though.

3) Say what? Let me get this straight... if our actions control revolution, we with our brains control evolution? Why, because they rhyme? I'm sorry, but I don't get you here.

Nobody is arguing for a "mysterious force of nature" a mysterious force of nature would imply some sort of push or outside control. Evolution is an almost mathematical trend to all self-replicating systems. In survival situations the best genes survive, and those genes get passed on, making for a more fit next generation. That's all there is, really. Modern alterations to the theory come from discoveries about how the genetic code is structured, how major structural changes can be achieved with the change of just a few genes. All this means is that the process can be faster than we previously thought, but the basic idea remains unchanged from Darwin.

The language of some can confuse the point. It's hard to phrase sentences about evolution that don't make it sound like evolving is something that individual creatures actively do, or that evolution is some giant ghost nudging the little critters in the right direction. The best analogy I can think of is the Adam Smith's invisible hand. (The "force" that generates more wealth in capitalist systems) there is no hand, there is no mysterious force, it's just a typical result of free market economies, it goes with the system. Evolution is just a natural product of populations of reproducing things.

* Here's the source of a very common misconception. While the events that make up evolutionary process are random, the process itself is anything but. Think of an ideal gas, while the individual particles are moving in a basically "random" fashion, the gas itself will expand according to very strict laws. Evolution works on populations. While a mutation or an accident has an effect on the genes of a particular member of this population, for the population as a whole, such chance events work out to be constants in the equation rather than noise that throws the whole thing out of whack. And like gasses, evolution behaves simply and predictably in the lab, throw it out in the wild, where those gasses become warm and cold fronts in a storm system, and predictability goes out the window. Evolution is a chaotic process made of random events, on the short term it is predictable, but due to the system it is in, it rapidly becomes unpredictable. But it is *not* random in the sense of a tornado flying through a scrapyard and creating a 747.

Richard Dawkins does a better job of explaining this than I do.

Re:Evolution is not understood

[MillionthMonkey]

Quantum Particles arent random at all, we simply dont understand them so they SEEM random.

Wow. It looks like a 19th century classical physicist has invented a time machine, zoomed forward 100 years, and opened a Slashdot account! That would be exciting. I have a sinking feeling, though, that you are not a time traveler from the pre-1920 era, but rather, you're just another scientifically illiterate 21st century creationist.

Physics went through this debate about 80 years ago and decided that you are wrong. Unlike the rolling of dice, etc., where randomness is only apparent because of our ignorance of all the details of the situation, events on a quantum level are truly random. If you're going to say otherwise, you have to provide a mechanism (like little fairies deciding when a nucleus will decay).

But even rolling dice is a bad example of a deterministic process- we figured this out in the eighties. To predict the outcome, you need such exquisite detail of the initial conditions that even minute contributions from quantum processes cannot be ignored.

Re:This questions the old ideas about evolution

[Happy Monkey]

The reason there are no animals with tank treads is that there are no animals with wheels. The reason there are no animals with wheels is that the axle of the wheel has to be disconnected from the body of the animal. Therefore, it would not get any nutrients to grow. Additionally, muscular motion is linear, while wheel motion is rotational. If you already have the 'legs' that are going to turn the wheels, why add wheels? Third, small wheels are almost worthless in almost all natural terrain (true to a lesser extent for tank treads). Just think of a matchbox car on the lawn. Legs are more stable and versatile in uneven terrain. I think the irreducable complexity of tank treads on animals is pretty far don on the list of reasons they don't exist.

Most claims of irreducable complexity are just failures of imagination, anyway.

Re:This questions the old ideas about evolution

[Graspee_Leemoor]

"Then where did the aliens come from?"

Duh, Outer Space.

graspee

Re:This questions the old ideas about evolution

[Lumpy]

it only questions evolution if you are a journalist looking for a "shock value" or "catch phrase" and dont have enough brainpower to even understand what he writes about.

ruters is far from a accurate news source as the national enquirer is. Be sure to re-read the article and you will understand that using something you already have and had for the past 90,000,000,000,000,000 generations (- exaggeration.. I know... I'm trying to make a point in ruter's journalistic style) is not evolving. What about people that have no arms and can pick up things with their feet? (I can and I have arms+hands) what amazing evolution did they encounter? did they magically grow toes? OMG!!! I have toes!!!!

nope, not evolution. not by any stretch of anyone's mind.

Re:ok, ok, misuse of english aside....

[Binky The Oracle]

This strikes me as really being just a matter of practice and conditioning. As has been pointed out in many of the posts above, a musician has not only learned what to press/move to come up with certain notes, they've developed a certain "muscle-memory" that allows them to hit notes without really thinking about it.

Same thing applies to any twitch-type game - the player learns the right keypress combinations through highly repetitive actions. Eventually, they don't think "Left, Left, A, C, A, B, Up" but rather they think "I need to use a whirling dragon kick here."

I'm a touch typist and the same thing applies...

One other example of what Reuters would incorrectly call mutation that I haven't seen here would involve the ability of those born without arms to use their feet almost as well as many of us use our hands. I remember seeing a show about that many years ago and was fascinated by it. I decided that if they could use their feet, then I could certainly teach myself to write with my left hand. It didn't work too well, though.

My parents are very intimidated by their computer and are constantly calling me for tech support... I got a Vic 20 when I was 12 and never learned that fear... just a different kind of muscle memory I suppose. They don't want to experiment because they're still unfamiliar with the computer and don't know what will and won't cause problems. I think it's just practice...

Re:What about mouse usage?

[TheOnlyCoolTim]

All your fingers do with the mouse is press down every time you click. No dexterity is involved for them. If the mouse develops anything it would be the dexterity of the wrist.

Tim

Re:Mutation != Gene Mutation

[Graspee_Leemoor]

Well the real root of the word is latin.

Mutatus (noun)- a change or alteration.

So don't go giving them C14th dudes too much credit- they were just a bunch of IP freeloaders.

"Dude, I got some great new latin words on Kazaa!"

"Cool- let me copy them too. 'Mutatus'- woah, wicked"

graspee

Re:Who's the brainless fuck that posted this?

[Graspee_Leemoor]

"Nothing CAUSES mutations"

Phew, no cancer for me then. Where's my smokes ?

graspee