Did Our Faces Evolve for Being Punched?

Genesis 6:11
“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.”

On our previous Creation Moments broadcast, we told you about researchers who are claiming that our hands evolved so that they can be formed into fists for fighting. Now that same group of researchers is also telling us that our faces evolved to withstand being punched.

Did our faces evolve for being punched? This idea represents a big departure from the long-held theory that human faces look the way they do because our ancestors spent much of their time chewing nuts and other hard foods. The lead author of the study writes, “The australopiths were characterized by a suite of traits that may have improved fighting ability, including hand proportions that allow formation of a fist.” He adds, “If indeed the evolution of our hand proportions were associated with selection for fighting behavior, you might expect the primary target, the face, to have undergone evolution to better protect it from injury when punched.”

A member of the research team added: “Our research is about peace. We seek to explore, understand, and confront humankind’s violent and aggressive tendencies. Through our research we hope to look ourselves in the mirror and begin the difficult work of changing ourselves for the better.”

Good luck with that! If history has taught us anything, it’s that mankind – starting with Cain – has had a violent streak and, if anything, we are getting worse. Only God can take such violence out of our hearts when we turn to Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray that Your Holy Spirit will help me control my temper. May my actions always be a silent testimony to the new creature in Christ You have made me to be! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Author: Steven J. Schwartz
Ref: Jennifer Viegas, “Human Face Evolved to Withstand Punching,” Discovery News, 6/9/14.