Neck and neck

Diversity is a marker of life, and one of the things that concerns us about climate change is the loss of biodiversity that it threatens. It also tickles the awe gland, however, when lack of diversity is observed as when a constant appears across species, because it suggests some kind of universal (some may say divine) truth has been reached. If you want to look for one of those constants you need look no further than your own neck. Nearly all mammals have the same number of neck vertebrae. The magic number when it comes to mammalian neck vertebrae is seven; all mammals have seven vertebrae in their neck with just three exceptions: two-toed sloths, three-toed sloths and manatees. Birds, reptiles and amphibians have varying numbers, with swans for instance having…

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WellBeing (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 204

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