According to Australia’s ABC News, our ape ancestors had claws and used them to grip things (particularly for climbing), and indeed many simians still have claws and use them for those purposes. H. sapiens evolved away from claws and towards the broad and flat fingernails we have now. Long story short: they evolved that way because they help us pick things up — a much more useful skill to us than climbing.

Similarly, according to Healthline, fingernails serve other purposes. For example, the hand and thick nails protect the sensitive network of capillaries and nerves at that part of the tip of the finger. This in turn provides protection and stability when picking things up. Further, the nails protect that part of the skin from bacteria and viruses that might enter the body. And of course, it bears noting that fingernails are useful for fine motor skills such as flipping the pages of a book, or the aforementioned scratching an itch.

It bears noting that fingernails are not strictly necessary for survival, and indeed, it’s not unlikely that anyone reading this article may lose one or more fingernails at some point in their life, yet still live a full and active life.