Hand in the verdict: Women have dirtier palms

William Atkins
Friday, 07 November 2008 19:10

Science - Health

So far the researchers have been unable to come up with explanations for all of their conclusions.

They think that women have more germ species on their palms due to less of an acidic hand when compared to men’s hands (more acidity is less favorable for bacteria).

Other factors could be differences in the ways men and women wash their hands, different amount of perspiration (sweat) produced by women versus men, and different amounts of moisturizers and/or cosmetics used by the two genders.

Their paper summarizing their findings appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

In fact, Noah Fierer, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado and one of the authors of the study, stated, “The sheer number of bacteria species detected on the hands of the study participants was a big surprise, and so was the greater diversity of bacteria we found on the hands of women.” [eNews 2.0: “Women's Palms Home To More Bacteria Species, Study Finds”]

The results of the Fierer study may help scientists learn more about which bacterial species are associated with the various diseases that plague mankind and womankind.

It may also help scientists better diagnose diseases and what changes in the numbers and kinds of bacteria led to diseases.