Hiccups as a vestigial character–put this in your pocket of tricks
Check out PvM’s blog post on Panda’s Thumb that covers Neil Shubin’s book (Your Inner Fish) and a comparison he makes about hiccups in mammals vs fish vs amphibians–this is a great little tidbit to bring out when the moment is right. You’re going to like this…..
BW
The Feb 2008 issue of Natural History magazine’s cover and feature article is an excerpt from Shubbin’s book “Your Inner Fish”. I would have provided a link but Natural History doesn’t maintain a comprehensive archive.
It seems like Paula has already been sold on the book but for those that aren’t get to your library or book store and read this article in Natural History.
So this is why they call it a theory. It’s the power of plausible explanation. Very cool.
Thanks so much for pointing this out. I saw this book recently at the book store and thought I wanted to buy it, now I know I do! These little quirks that result from evolution are fascinating. Timing is perfect too – we’re on related topics in both my classes.