SOFT (really soft) spots

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In article <405uht$qqc@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Sir CPU, sircpu@aol.com
writes:

>This is why the head of the human infant is
>"soft" and contains a partial "soft spot" in the skull so that it is
>better able to slip down the birth cannal.

I'm a little baffled. If this is WHY human infants have unfused cranial
bones (resulting in "softness"), why do the same features show up in all
other mammals, and even birds? Do birds need a "soft" skull to get out
of their eggs? I would think a hard skull would help them break out of
the shell better.

(That was sarcasm, above. I'd hate to think no one noticed.)

There's just got to be an adaptive explanation for EVERYTHING.

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

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