Learn something new every day

[moominmuppet]

Photic sneeze reflex -- I hadn't realized everyone didn't sneeze in response to bright light. (yes, that would make me someone who does)

And while thinking about random genetic traits, I went looking for something about tongue-rolling. I can triple-roll my tongue, as can my dad (if you scroll about 3/4 of the way down this page, you'll see an example). musicalchaos and jajy1979, can you? I was very interested to learn that simple tongue-rolling's method of inheritance is nowhere near as clear as tended to be taught in high school science when I was young, although the one page I found discussing triple-rolling says it might be a separate trait with clearer heredity. Interesting on both counts.

I'm incredibly exhausted today. I got home about 10:30pm, and didn't manage to get to sleep until about midnight (no matter how tired I am, it seems to take me about an hour to wind down after getting home before I can go to sleep). Also, it's raining, and that seems to be combining with the fatigue to make my fibro grumpy.

Comments

[calebbullen.livejournal.com]

I didn't know people DID sneeze in response to bright light until my mid twenties. I'd heard that wives tale about looking into the light to force a sneeze but was certain I'd heard it wrong because usually if I think I might have to sneeze, tilting my head up to look at a light will postpone the sneeze rather than bring it on.

I also didn't know there was more than one way to make the basic shoelace knot until high school and when I found out, my mind was blown.

[marnanel.livejournal.com]

Gosh, you must show me triple-rolling your tongue sometime! Being able to do the ordinary tongue-roll is genetic too, isn't it?

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

Well, that's where there's apparently more debate than we were taught as kids -- there's some more discussion about it at the link above.

Of course I can.

[jajy1979.livejournal.com]

I can triple roll my tongue into that lovely star shape though I think yours is more rolled and mine is more folded, I can roll my tongue, flip it a total of about 270 degrees either direction, create a bowl or a couple of other tricks. I'm not sure which of us got the more flexable tongue, but it's probably a close race. I know my wife finds it all highly entertaining.

I think Matt can, but I don't think he's as good at it as either of us. Too many of mom's genes I think.

Also regarding photic sneeze response it's mentioned in a book Anna and I were going to give to you in Nashville. "Survival of the Sickest" which we have an advanced readers copy of (it's not published yet). We think it's something you'd be amused by, though you might also be amused by Final Exits which is a fun look at all the ways we can die.

[musicalchaos.livejournal.com]

Yep, been able to for nearly a decade now.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

deyo has the ACHOO thing, I don't.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

(Also, we're both tongue-rollers. So a kid of our genetic stock would almost certainly be a tongue-roller -- I'm not sure what our parents are, but there might be a 25% chance we'd have a non-roller -- and we'd have a 50% chance of having a kid with ACHOO.)

[kat-chan.livejournal.com]

I have that sneeze reflex, too. Especially in sunlight. Most in my family do. So, I suppose that means that I didn't realize everyone didn't do it, too.