Why do we have fingernails?
For grown-ups: the science
Fingernails protect your fingertips and help you hold and pick up small things.
Human fingernails are plates of keratin, a tough protein, produced by the nail matrix under the skin at the nail base. They protect the fingertip and improve fine touch and grip by providing counterpressure to the finger pad.
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Transcript
Look at the tips of your fingers. Why do they have little hard nails?
Fingernails are hard covers on the ends of your fingers. They protect the soft skin underneath.
Your nails give your fingertips a firm edge. That helps you pick up tiny things and scratch an itch.
Nails grow from the skin near their bottom edge. As new nail grows, the older part moves forward.
So that's why we have fingernails. They protect our fingertips and help our hands do careful jobs.