Researchers say people with polydactyly normally have the extra appendages removed because they look odd or aren’t completely developed — but now they say having a sixth finger can save you from using two hands. The subjects in the study, a 17-year-old male and his 52-year-old mother, have a supernumary finger between their thumb and index finger. The study aimed to understand how the finger, which was likened to having an extra thumb, is used and whether the brain had trouble processing another extremity. For example, the mother and son could tie their shoes with one hand, use the extra finger when typing and the teen includes the sixth finger while gaming. They also hope parents will think twice before opting to remove a child’s sixth finger.

Source: National Post June 13, 2019 17:37 UTC