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Left handedness
Scientists at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta have observed that a large chimpanzee named Winston uses his left hand to reach and grab a length of pipe from researcher Bill Hopkins. Winston then uses his right hand to scoop out some peanut butter smeared inside. "Winston's a righty," Hopkins says, offering another piece of pipe to a smaller chimp. This one takes the pipe with his right hand and digs out the peanut butter with his left. Over the past years, Hopkins's research has shown that, like humans, apes have hand preferences: a third of the Yerkes chimpanzees are lefties and the rest are righties. But an even more puzzling fact has emerged. The younger the sibling, the more likely he or she is to be a lefty. Among humans, lefties are more likely than righties to suffer from dyslexia. But lefties are also more likely to be Mensa members, musicians, and U.S. presidents (Bill Clinton, George Bush Sr., and Ronald Reagan are all left-handed). Whilst left-handedness is known to run in families—notably in Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Prince William—more than two-thirds of all lefties are born to right-handed couples. Even identical twins often have opposite hand preferences. Nevertheless, Hopkins says, a close look at primate research since the 1920s shows that all primates have hand preferences, and those preferences follow a clear pattern: Lemurs and other prosimians tend to be left-handed; macaques and other old-world monkeys are evenly split between lefties and righties; among gorillas and chimpanzees, 35 percent are lefties, while in humans that percentage hovers around 10. "It's quite possible that what set humans apart was that speech began from gestures, which would explain an indirect association with handedness," says Michael Corballis, a handedness expert at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. "But it's one of those mysteries that refuses to resolve itself. Think of it this way: Primates do have very symmetrical brains, but then again, so did Einstein." Read Joselyn Selim's full article from the outstanding Discover Magazine. Researcher Bill Hopkins personal page. Lorin Elias' Left-handedness site - dealing with such matters as:
Left-handed shops online are to be found in most countries, including the following: United States, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand. Rosemary West's Left-handed Page National Association of Left-handed Golfers - USA The Left-handed Writers' Page - handwriting tips. Left-handedness: Curse, Blessing or Anomaly of Nature? Creation Could be Left-handed - BBC science news article When Left Can be Right - advice for parents with left-handed children. The Left-handed Liberation Front Lefty Portside - left-handed supplies RU-Left-handed - UK left-handed supplies. Left-handers Day - source of articles and information about left-handers. Left-handedness Myths - Myths surrounding left-handedness are no less common today than during the 1600's when left-handers were burned at the stake for suspicion of "witchcraft" and "sorcery". Left-handed Writers - While just over ten per cent of people are left handed, they represent a disproportionate number of fountain pen users. A Lefty in a Right-handed Family - 'What actually happened was when my kindergarten teacher taught us how to write she noticed my very bad hand writing...' |
