Jump to content

(a)biogenesis questions

Featured Replies

Here's a question. Why are teeth generally so symmetrical and even? A snaggle-toothed creature with lots of gaps in its teeth really doesn't bear much evolutionary advantage or disadvantage, but the norm in the animal kingdom is pretty much a full mouth of even teeth.

We see a lot of symmetry in nature, and I think it just represents the simplest way for evolutionary efforts to manifest themselves. Beyond that though, there would seem to be a high survival value in dentition that discourages matter from being caught between them. This means more food gets successfully eaten and appropriately digested, with less decay of the enamel, and fewer teeth get broken off due to torque or pressure from the sides.

It humans symmetry of the face is deemed to be more attractive which has been shown in studies, I don't know if this also applies in the animal kingdom, or whether attractiveness is even considered by some species but it's a thought. :)

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.