What's the purpose of cycling gloves? I haven't cycled for many years already and long ago when I was cycling I didn't pay much attention to equipment. Now I see that many cyclists wear a certain kind of gloves - that only cover the palm and leave the fingers uncovered.

What's the purpose of wearing such gloves (and not usual gloves for example)? In what non-cycling activities can such gloves be useful?
Cycling gloves come in different varieties (like full-fingered or half-fingered). Typically:


Cycling gloves have extra padding at the palms, which for me makes a difference when riding for hours at a time.
They protect your palms in case you attempt to use them to break a fall.
Like regular gloves, they can keep your hands warm in cold weather, especially since your hands aren't moving as much as your legs.
My particular pair of cycling gloves have a "towel" built in at the base of the thumb "finger" so I can actually wipe off water/sweat by running my fist over it.