Re: That nose stuff.

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(TOM SAWYER) writes:
>Nose morphology, when and where it did change excluded, has everything and
>anything to do with climate. A narrower, longer nose interrupts the
>airflow to the nasal cavity, slowing the air down to be heated more.
>Wouldn't we expect this to be an adaptation made to colder climates? Pick
>and chose which species you think would have this! What's up with this
>talk about adaptation to water?

Hmm, I find it kind of suspicious that an organ would evolve to project
out from the face simply to keep the lungs a fraction of a degree warmer.
Wouldn't the potential for frost bite on the nose be more of a
disadvantage than the advantage of warming the air? I've never heard of
humans dying from breathing cold air, but I do know that humans die from
hypothermia frequently.

I don't think the nose's origin has anything to do with warming the air.
If our bodies are a result of adaptation to the cold, I would think that
there would be many other areas that would have resulted in adaptations
first, for example growing hair.

BWH

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