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Top Design Flaws in the Human Body: Our bodies are full of hack solutions

nautil.us

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Re: Top Design Flaws in the Human Body: Our bodies are full of hack solutions

#5

Post by jkyle »

mariusz79 wrote: post #2

I think the biggest flaw is the location of the entertainment center next to sewer system.

If you really think about it, it's probably unavoidable. You have to reward an organism when it performs necessary functions. Which is why defecation and urination are pleasurable.

You could move the piping, but you'd still have to reward the action. And if there's reward sensors there, clever animals will figure out how to trigger the reward without the action.

In other words, you can move the sewer but they'd probably just build another playground there.

Re: Top Design Flaws in the Human Body: Our bodies are full of hack solutions

#6

Post by phkahler »

There was an article just a few days ago where they found the "backwards" retina has denser cells on the front side which concentrate red and green wavelengths. Seemed a bit fishy to me, but it suggests that we don't that our eyes are not optimal. Some of the other things listed are suspect AFICT because we just don't know all the influences that led to them. Arteries? Those are ancient in origin and reflect a weird balance between flexibility, getting the blood distributed, and not bleeding to death from injuries.

While I'm sure there is hackery behind all of these, I don't think humans know enough yet to claim we could do better.

Re: Top Design Flaws in the Human Body: Our bodies are full of hack solutions

#7

Post by jader201 »

jkyle wrote: post #5
mariusz79 wrote: post #2

I think the biggest flaw is the location of the entertainment center next to sewer system.

If you really think about it, it's probably unavoidable. You have to reward an organism when it performs necessary functions. Which is why defecation and urination are pleasurable. You could move the piping, but you'd still have to reward the action. And if there's reward sensors there, clever animals will figure out how to trigger the reward without the action. In other words, you can move the sewer but they'd proba…

Interesting. I would have thought "no longer feeling full" would have been reward enough for the behavior to be learned.

Re: Top Design Flaws in the Human Body: Our bodies are full of hack solutions

#9

Post by a2tech »

My personal favorite poorly designed part of the body is the sinus cavity.

When we used to walk on four limbs, our heads would naturally incline to an angle that allows full drainage of the sinus cavity. Now that we walk upright, there's a dead spot in the back of the cavity where mucus and bacteria can pool. This is why if you're experiencing sinus pressure but you haven't reached the stage where nothing in your head is moving if you tip your head forward you can often feel an immediate lessening of pressure.

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