Same here. The snorting and rallying behavior in the article sounds identical to what our dogs do. (I initially confused it with sneezing, too, but they are clearly snorting sharply.)
> No other social animal has been reported to cast a vote, of sorts, by sneezing, although in humans sneezing may once have expressed a negative opinion, as in, “nothing to sneeze at.”
Does the author really think humans used to sneeze on demand?
I can sneeze almost on demand by thinking of specific things. But I agree, even with my 'ability' it is unsuited for communication. Even a grunt would be easier and more nuanced.
If I was to make a guess I would say they sneeze to clear any odors that may be trapped in their nasal passages, Or to make sure that their passages are clear to sense prey better.
Horomones can stimulate reflexes, and conditioned responses to the premise of hunting likely provoke not only an adrenaline response, but other secretions, as part of coordinated psychological and emotional activity at the begining of the fight-or-flight routine.
Sneezing is a reflex, and there's probably some hereditary cross-over in the genetic mix that provides for the complex of neurological signaling.
If there's some interplay with group activity, maybe it's demonstrative of a pattern of emergent evolution for a brand of pheremone to jump the air gap between peers, reinforcing a pattern of hunting success as part of a feedback loop, when combined with the canine sense of smell?
This is quite common - and variations on that too; I have a friend who sneezes when she eats, and another friend who sneezes when he becomes aroused, I'd say these mutations are more useless :)
I'm shocked that the article, which started out as an interesting and fact-based history of the genesis of health insurance, ran head-on into an opinionated rant about the social consequences of a private system. Actually, I'm not. This is why the Gray Lady is breathing its last gasps.... fiscally speaking. As a constitutionalist, it's offensive to me that the NYT feels the need to lecture me on what is good and what is bad. Manhattan and San Fran values do not represent the other 2/3rd's of our nation... but you cannot tell that, from the NYT.
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[ 1.7 ms ] story [ 32.1 ms ] threadDoes the author really think humans used to sneeze on demand?
Edit: made myself sneeze, took about 7 seconds.
Horomones can stimulate reflexes, and conditioned responses to the premise of hunting likely provoke not only an adrenaline response, but other secretions, as part of coordinated psychological and emotional activity at the begining of the fight-or-flight routine.
Sneezing is a reflex, and there's probably some hereditary cross-over in the genetic mix that provides for the complex of neurological signaling.
If there's some interplay with group activity, maybe it's demonstrative of a pattern of emergent evolution for a brand of pheremone to jump the air gap between peers, reinforcing a pattern of hunting success as part of a feedback loop, when combined with the canine sense of smell?
I sneeze when the sun gets in my eyes. This may be one of those useless mutations though.