Opposable thumbs (was Re: virus: Abortion, etc.)

David McFadzean (dbm@merak.com)
Fri, 15 Mar 1996 11:21:06 -0700


At 07:54 PM 13/03/96 -0700, Lather. Rinse. Repeat. wrote:

>As an aside, I wonder if and how the opposable thumb and human
>intelligence are related. Any thoughts, anyone?

In "The Throwing Madonna: Essays on the Brain", neurophysiologist
William Calvin outlines a compelling theory that links the evolution
of human intelligence to the act of throwing (specifically throwing
deadly projectiles at small rodents) which is of course easier with
an opposable thumb. His home page is one of the best on the web:
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~wcalvin/

--
David McFadzean                 david@lucifer.com
Memetic Engineer                http://www.lucifer.com/~david/
Church of Virus			http://www.lucifer.com/virus/