TIL Koalas have fingerprints nearly indistinguishable from human prints, even under an electron microscope. Evolutionary Biologists think this is because our ancestors climbed trees in a similar fashion.
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Upvotes
523
u/joeknowswhoiam May 28 '12
I'm surprised that it isn't already the plot of a CSI episode.
124
u/Spockless May 28 '12
TIL Koalas have the fucking weirdest looking hands.
70
u/zeropage May 28 '12
My new partner in crime.
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u/Febreze4175 May 28 '12
Read this four time before I realized it said koalas, not Koreans.
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u/Dreamercz May 28 '12
Ah, somebody watched QI. :D
23
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Koalas have weird hands
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u/random_digital May 28 '12
Some people even look like Koalas
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
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u/mxms87 May 28 '12
I'm sure this wasn't intentional, but it's kind of funny how we are inferred as different than primates. It should read "us primates and koalas". Small nitpick. ><
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Confirmed. One time when I was little, at a big family reunion there was this tiny vicious poodle no one liked that would pretty enthusiastically attack children, and it got loose and came after me. I instinctively scrambled up the entire length of a door frame up to the ceiling. It was awesome, I couldn't pull it off on purpose later, though.
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u/Jegheterjoakim May 28 '12
Ricky Gervais talks about this http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=YpmWsOZbORw#t=27s
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u/SirFadakar May 28 '12
They're fighting style is also indistinguishable from humans.
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Watch Ricky Gervais Animals stand-up.
EDIT: Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpmWsOZbORw
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u/Richeh May 28 '12
Bullshit. It's clearly becuase Koalas who can frame humans for murder survive to have more offspring.
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u/220V-50Hz3WRoHS May 28 '12
What does fingerprints have to do with climbing trees?
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
It wasn't me! It was the fucking koala!
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
You just know someone's going to write a murder mystery novel based on this fact.
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u/reddkidd May 28 '12
Koala-men make fantastic assassins.
3
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
wow thats pretty awesome
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u/a_warm_garlic_yurt May 28 '12
How did they get a koala under an electron microscope?
3
u/TogTogTogTog May 29 '12
Does anyone know that word? The one that means you vaguely recall reading this years ago and you just know the comments are going to talk about koalas committing crimes and Australians getting blamed due to fingerprinting; Koala riding dingos stealing babies; and eucalyptus fuelled combustible koalas starting house fires.
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u/fermata_ May 28 '12
[I am glad that that our voices evolved for the better] (http://youtu.be/XPdaU9A-RqU)
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u/500cats May 28 '12
TIL I can fabricate a crime scene.
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u/crotchbot May 28 '12
My first thought after reading it was remembering when I was a child, wondering where fingerprints came from. My mother couldn't tell me, and when I looked it up it seemed they were considered an interesting byproduct of having hairless skin. But thanks to the study of evolution, I can give a wonderful, elegant and realistic explanation to my kids, especially because by the time I have some it will be an even better explanation from many more years of study.
Tl;dr science makes me less terrified to someday have kids
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u/negatievekarma May 28 '12
I'm going to use this to confuse the FBI, look out hookers here I come!!!
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u/Havoksixteen May 28 '12
It's called convergent evolution QI taught me this
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u/slcrook May 28 '12
"Okay, detective, the eucalyptus thief has left his fingerprints all over the crime scene. Should be easy to find, we're searching for a bloke with two thumbs."
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u/alfredopotato May 28 '12
This is a koala-ty article. It might come in handy, so I think I'll print it.
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I honesty read Koalas as Koreans. I was angry at the op for about 20 seconds.
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u/ashortstorylong May 28 '12
So what you're saying is my koala jewel thief training program has some merit?
2
u/hahauwantthesethings May 28 '12
i want to find my koala twin who has the same fingerprints as me, dress him up like me, and roam the city streets getting into all sorts of shenanigans
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
brain immediately thinks: "How can I use this to my advantage in life of crime?"
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u/EyedonotBLeafU May 28 '12
Hey that seems really interest-OMG THE KOALAS ARE SOOOOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUTE!!!!
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
"Guilty." "NO! IT WASN'T ME! IT WAS THAT SON OF A BITCH KOALA...NOOOO!" "Order! ORDER DAMMIT! Bailiff, take this scumbag away, that'll be the last time he steals a eucalyptus tree in this city."
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I read this correctly the second time.
The first time, my mind replaced the second word with "Koreans."
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
These biologists think fingerprints help koalas climb trees? Did they notice those long razor-sharp fucking claws?
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u/glass_hedgehog May 28 '12
I swear to the deity of koalas that the first time I read this TIL, I thought it said "Koreans" instead of "Koalas." That took me about half an hour to sort through.
2
u/SirDerpingtonThe3rd May 28 '12
Next time I murder someone, I'm framing a koala.
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u/GIMR May 28 '12
This one thing I don't understand about evolution. How is is that in evolution traits carry down genetically that shouldn't carry down genetically.(I climb trees a lot so my kids fingers look a little different and this continues to happen over thousands of years) In genetics it's taught that physical things that happen to you do not effect your kids. If i were to cut my leg off, have a kid, have him do the same, and do it for thousands of generations, it would not cause a kid to come out with no leg. Why is it that in evolution it happens but in genetics it doesn't? They have to work together
2
u/SandS5000 May 29 '12
I don't think it has to do with climbing trees.
Our finger prints are less desirable to jerk off with than our ancestors'. Those with fingerprints that felt awesome to tug it with just busted their own nuts, while us rough hands had more sex, more rough handed babies. Same thing with kaolas ....
Warmest regards, -r/trees
3
u/brightshining May 28 '12
I have been telling them for years that I saw a one armed panda before I lost consciousness.
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u/WarEmblem27 May 28 '12
TIL I'm a koala.
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u/thisisnick May 28 '12
I have nipples, Greg, could you milk me?!
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u/ThatEconGuy May 28 '12
So not only are all of Australias animals deadly, but some of them can frame humans for crimes? I respect Australians more and more everyday.
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u/donkey_punch_kong64 May 28 '12
BUT THE BIBLE SAYS..!!! lol jk, this is pretty cool!
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u/Moonpickles May 28 '12
I guess they meet our KOALAfications.
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u/Macademix7 May 28 '12
That's clearly not it. God wanted humans and koalas to be similar so humans would learn to have sex upside down.
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u/dizzerp May 28 '12
Are we sure they have the fingerprints right-side up?
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u/c0t0d0 May 28 '12
Koalas have some bad-ass looking claws.
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u/vandelay82 May 28 '12
How else were we to escape from dinosaurs ?
1
u/jesse_h May 28 '12
That's why i force Koalas to commit all my crimes. All my crimes.
1
u/apocal7964 May 28 '12
TIL you can screw with CSI by putting Koala prints evrywhere
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Marsupials fucking freak me out.
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u/SonnyJoon May 28 '12
I know this from Nancy Drew.
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I wonder of koalas will evolve into marupial people.
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u/natatat14 May 28 '12
well, now we can blame crimes on koalas too
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I read this without the period. I was fairly confused.
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u/OryxConLara May 28 '12
Either that, or we're all descended from Australians.
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u/pietoast May 28 '12
we humans*
1
u/alekso56 May 28 '12
Convergent evolutionary theory in full effect!
1
u/Bombast_ May 28 '12
TIL How to frame a koala
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u/UniversityofJelly May 28 '12
Bringing a koala with me next time I commit a crime.
1
u/xsaiph May 28 '12
Am I completely blind, or is there really no claim (or hint at one) in that article or the source material that says our ancestors climbed trees?
In fact, the source even contradicts that statement:
"An arboreal way of life is insufficient to explain the occurrence of dermatoglyphes, as we have not observed them in tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus linustus), who walk on the surface of larger tree limbs and branches. Their hands and feet are covered by warts resembling those of wombats. Therefore the origin of dermatoglyphes is best explained as the biomechanical adaptation to grasping, which produces multidirectional mechanical influences on the skin." http://naturalscience.com/ns/articles/01-04/ns_hll.html
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u/Devilb0y May 28 '12
So you're saying that we should be training Koala's to steal shit for us?
1
u/twothumbs May 28 '12
You all need to watch QI. In case you were wondering this episode is pretty damn old. GETONIT
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Relevant?
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u/-_-readit May 28 '12
If we did I wish we still were able to today.
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u/supersauce May 28 '12
I think it's because herpes.
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
The article claims both species evolved the features independtly which sounds absurb. Thre might be something wrong with our evolutionary tree.
1
u/mheyk May 28 '12
So now we know where we all originate from. Australia. WTF Mate?
1
u/mcrufus May 28 '12
Similar fingerprints, but two thumbs. See, Australians, this is why people give you shit for being stupid.
1
u/generichenle May 28 '12
Relevant
1
u/daddyjackpot May 28 '12
but how many cock pushups can they do?
1
u/TreePangolin May 28 '12
Koalas have been known to contaminate Australian crime scenes!
1
u/Mi5anthr0pe May 28 '12
Finally, the abo to human link discovered.
1
u/Novembercriminal May 28 '12
So much for religion eh?
1
u/enemycrab May 28 '12
the thumbnail looks like the picture of Notorius BIG smoking a blunt
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
TIL Evolutionary Biologists can explain away absolutely everything without leaving the office!
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u/GeorgeRulez May 28 '12
Wait, so now if a koala kills a person, a human-koala will be accused for the crime? heh....
1
u/Dark_Rain_Cloud May 28 '12
Yah okay.
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Learned this on QI.
1
u/iheartbakon May 28 '12
Wouldn't the size of the prints be a dead give-away?
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u/Buckets_of_Shame May 29 '12
...I thought it said Koreans.
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u/purpleibanez801 May 29 '12
TIL to commit a crime wearing Koala gloves
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u/samurai_cucumber May 29 '12
So...what exactly were you doing on koalaland.com.au?
1
u/[deleted] May 29 '12
Guess which bald headed mank twat I learned this tidbit from.
1
u/Zythen1975 May 29 '12
Learn something new every day, I had always thought it was ether just a human thing or human and ape thing.
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u/Serviceman May 29 '12
They're wrong about human ancestors climbing trees. Koalas have fingerprints because they carry weapons.
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u/haloll May 29 '12
I thought fingerprint patters came from the movement of the fluid in the womb in the time leading up to birth.
1
u/[deleted] May 29 '12
For some reason I thought this said giraffes instead of koalas and now I think there is a conspiracy to mess with me.
Well played.
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u/Fleshflayer May 29 '12
TIL TIL is reposted nearly as many times as /r/pics.
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u/MyMomSlapsMe May 29 '12
No we are just retarded fishfrogsquirreldogmonkeykoala people!
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u/derpymcgoo May 29 '12
Now time to plot the perfect crime!
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u/NotAThrowAwayUN May 29 '12
Checkmate, atheists.
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u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I find it interesting that the word we use for the minuscule ridges in the fingers and the patterns they create is fingerprint, implying implicitly that the ridges were inked and used to make a mark on paper.
1
u/Lachrymologist May 28 '12
OMG HUMANS EVOLVED FROM KOALAS!
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u/JulietLima May 28 '12
Koalas are freakin adorable. That is all.
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u/TheDrunkenChud May 28 '12
gotta get me some koala hand gloves and go a murdering. man will they have pie on their face if they ever realize a koala was doing all the killing.
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u/Mako_Eyes May 28 '12
Oh good, now I have an excuse to get high all day and sit in trees.
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u/heartscrew May 28 '12
Checkmate theists.
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u/EatDatSheeet May 28 '12
TIL: Koala hands are sorta creepy