the current understanding is that thumbs evolved to help us hold tools and throw weapons, but that's so 20th century - the kind of arrogant anthropocentrism that leads anthropologists astray all the time. they're getting better. slowly.

this article floats the idea that maybe chimps actually have more evolved hands than us, and is able to tie it to fruit consumption, once the blinders of our role in the universe, as taught to us by judaic religion, have been removed.

i'd vote for holding fruit over holding spears, as a stronger adaptive trait. women like access to a good banana more than they like protection with a sharp sword.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/07/humans-have-more-primitive-hands-chimpanzees