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Epitome? Nah. The human body is flawed in any number of ways. This article has some interesting notable examples: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu

by zzalpha 11y ago

Epitome? Nah. The human body is flawed in any number of ways. This article has some interesting notable examples: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-top-ten-daily-consequences-of-having-evolved-72743121/ http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-top-ten-dai... Humans are optimized in some very specific ways, but at the expense of some serious downsides. As a related aside, I think its this misunderstanding that confuses people into preferring creationism. If one holds the anthropocentric view that humans are the peak of biological evolution (itself a meaningless concept... Evolution is about fitness, it's not directional), believing in creationism is a lot more understandable.

vinceguidry 11y ago
From the article: > One of the reasons it is so difficult to stop hiccupping is that the entire process is controlled by a part of our brain that evolved long before consciousness, and so try as you might, you cannot think hiccups away. I can. Reliably. I concentrate in the general direction of my diaphragm, and often times I can stop the third hiccup before it happens. I have to wait until the second hiccup before I know I'll have to use the technique. The only time I can't do it is when I've been drinking, which is, coincidentally, when I get them the most. I can't concentrate the way I need to, it's like that part of my brain is shut off.
- maxerickson 11y ago
  For fun, maybe try to "count" with the stops. 3rd hiccup, 4th hiccup, 5th hiccup. That would be a much more compelling anecdote about control.
  - vinceguidry 11y ago
    When I'm drunk enough to not be able to stop my hiccups, they usually go away naturally without me even noticing them as I sober up. I eventually give up trying to control it after I notice it's futile, and the awareness that I'm even having them goes away. The hiccups themselves barely register and are quickly forgotten. A couple of times I've gotten home realization dawns that I'm still hiccuping. Two, three hiccups later, they're gone. There's something about being alone in my room that makes me more capable of doing the technique than when I'm at the bar.
teddyh 11y ago
> The human body is flawed in any number of ways. Yes; “This project is doomed.”: http://threepanelsoul.com/2010/07/05/on-design-by-committee/ http://threepanelsoul.com/2010/07/05/on-design-by-committee/

by zzalpha 11y ago

vinceguidry 11y ago

From the article: > One of the reasons it is so difficult to stop hiccupping is that the entire process is controlled by a part of our brain that evolved long before consciousness, and so try as you might, you cannot think hiccups away. I can. Reliably. I concentrate in the general direction of my diaphragm, and often times I can stop the third hiccup before it happens. I have to wait until the second hiccup before I know I'll have to use the technique. The only time I can't do it is when I've been drinking, which is, coincidentally, when I get them the most. I can't concentrate the way I need to, it's like that part of my brain is shut off.

maxerickson 11y ago
For fun, maybe try to "count" with the stops. 3rd hiccup, 4th hiccup, 5th hiccup. That would be a much more compelling anecdote about control.
- vinceguidry 11y ago
  When I'm drunk enough to not be able to stop my hiccups, they usually go away naturally without me even noticing them as I sober up. I eventually give up trying to control it after I notice it's futile, and the awareness that I'm even having them goes away. The hiccups themselves barely register and are quickly forgotten. A couple of times I've gotten home realization dawns that I'm still hiccuping. Two, three hiccups later, they're gone. There's something about being alone in my room that makes me more capable of doing the technique than when I'm at the bar.

teddyh 11y ago

> The human body is flawed in any number of ways. Yes; “This project is doomed.”: http://threepanelsoul.com/2010/07/05/on-design-by-committee/ http://threepanelsoul.com/2010/07/05/on-design-by-committee/