Human and chimp ribs (Shermer)
February 21st, 2008 | Published in Biology, Evolution, Quotes, Science | 2 Comments
Most humans have twelve sets of ribs, but 8 percent of us have a thirteen set, just like chimpanzees and gorillas. This is a remnant of our primate ancestry: We share common ancestors with chimps and gorillas, and the thirteen set of ribs has been retained from when our lineage branched off six million years ago.
—Michael Shermer, Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design (Times Books, 2006), p. 18.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:28 pm (#)
…and here I thought that all males had an uneven number of ribs on one side of their bodies, as proof of our genetic lineage.
;)
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 am (#)
Most passenger cars have four doors, but 8 percent of them have only two, just like horse drawn carriages. This is a remnant of their carriage ancestry: Cars share common ancestors with horse drawn carriages, and the single set of doors has been retained from when their lineage branched off 100 years ago.