Shouldn't it be deeper in the neck? In terms of survival, being so near the surface of the neck makes it easier to be cut or torn, resulting in bleeding to death. How come evolution hasn't corrected what I think is a dangerous error of human design?
2006-07-30 07:40:19 · 11 answers · asked by FrozenCloud 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
As evolution worked on early humans certain things were more important for survival purposes.
It is only a major issue for evolutionary purposes if having the jugular vein where it is prevents one generation from reproducing in favor of individuals who have better protected necks.
The average human can go an entire lifetime without a significant attack to their neck.(incidentally, injury to the carotid artery on the other side of the neck is far more lethal if struck)
Evolution favored things like better eyesight and depth perception to see predators before they got close enough to attack.
If humans evolved tougher necks, do you think it would have stopped the typical Sabre toothed cat from making us lunch?
Better to evolve better predator detection and group defense responses, which is what we did. besides early man discovered neck protection with the use of hides fairly early on I imagine.
Human success as a species is from being an adaptable, intelligent generalist, not by evolving highly specialized body structures.
2006-07-30 11:41:02 · answer #1 · answered by aka DarthDad 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, this provides some pretty good evidence for evolution being true.
Evolution works on what is available, and selects for adaptations that work 'well enough', and not necessarily what would be the best of all possible adaptations.
Humans (and other animals) have a whole variety of features that are the legacy of this 'it works well enough for right now' evolutionary pattern.
Our breathing passage that crosses our feeding tube is one of the most obvious examples; inherited from our crossopterygian ancestors and their swim bladder modified into lungs adaptation. Others include our screwy eyes that need all kinds of software implementation to resolve a decent image (and even then, there's still a bunch of floaties and junk that obscures the signal.
If there truly was an 'intelligent designer', these adaptations that are 'good enough', but not the best design would not exist.
So the jugular veins and soft throat remain as long as there are no major disadvantages to the feature, and no one has randomly evolved a more advantageous system.
2006-07-30 13:40:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most predatory mammals,lions cheetahs etc kill their prey by severing jugular veins
They came before humans appeared.So if their prey had safe jugular veins then these predators would've starved to death
Be thankful the brain is not so
quote "How come evolution hasn't corrected what I think is a dangerous error of human design"
Maybe evolution doesn't think so =)
2006-07-30 08:40:49 · answer #3 · answered by Kind_light 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you think about it from a different perspective it is actually very well protected. Most inuries that we sustain usually take place on the extremities(arms, legs). Were our jugular vein located in one of these areas we would be in real trouble. Another great thing about the jugular vein is it is located well above the ground thus making it easier to protect from predators who may be shorter than us. Everyone is capable of scrunching their neck into their shoulders to prevent any sort of frontal attack from being successful. Thus the jugular vein is perfectly situated
2006-07-30 12:10:34 · answer #4 · answered by Yakemchuk 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Humans aren't the only ones with exposed areas...esp. the juggular... most mammals have the same problem. Even if that vein were not there, there would be other risks associated with the area, like the trachea's location and the spinal cord.
2006-07-30 07:47:59 · answer #5 · answered by onehotmama 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The design can't be that bad if life survived for millions of years with the juggular right where it is.
Considering the above, there is no error.
2006-07-30 10:43:38 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the spinal cord muscled its way into the best-protected section of the body first. Talk to an armadillo or an alligator. Their jugular veins are a lot better protected than ours. (But sex is better for us, so not too many people I know want to change....)
2006-07-30 07:56:35 · answer #7 · answered by cdf-rom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lestermount
2016-08-22 13:48:15 · answer #8 · answered by jason w 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Heat loss
2006-07-30 07:44:34 · answer #9 · answered by Tom Cruise 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
all veins are more on the surface
besides it provides easy access for catheters if other places fail
2006-07-30 08:01:19 · answer #10 · answered by Karim M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋