Re: Are We Still Evolving?

Alex Duncan (aduncan@mail.utexas.edu)
2 Nov 1995 00:10:10 GMT

In article <478eeg$871@dnrserver1.dnr.state.mi.us> Whitey,
mackinnw@wildlife.dnr.state.mi.us writes:

>Oh boy that means I must be a more evolved individual, except you didn't get
>the process quite exactly:
>
>I'm a 2-1-2-3
> 2-1-1-3
>
>Losing the premolar provides plenty of space for ol' m-3.

Are your premolars congenitally absent, or were they pulled? I had four
of my premolars pulled, back when that was orthodontic fashion (it pisses
me off that they figured out a better way to make space in the jaw now).
And I only have a single M3 (thus the 25 teeth). If you had your
premolars pulled to make space for M3, then I submit that -- temporarily
at least -- the presence of M3s increased your mortality risk.

And, if you wanna talk highly evolved: the toenails on my little toes are
virtually nonexistent. Since we don't use our toes for grasping anymore,
we don't really need toenails anyway, do we?

I have seen the future, and it is me.

Alex Duncan
Dept. of Anthropology
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712-1086
512-471-4206
aduncan@mail.utexas.edu