10 Worst Evolutionary Designs

1 Sea mammal blowhole. Any animal that spends appreciable time in the ocean should be able to extract oxygen from water via gills. Enlarging the lungs and moving a nostril to the back of the head is a poor work-around. 2 Hyena clitoris. When engorged, this "pseudopenis," which doubles as the birth canal, becomes so hard it can crush babies to death during exit. 3 Kangaroo teat. In order to nurse, the just-born joey, a frail and squishy jellybean, must ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala - via Wired
Tags Help
Subjects: Sci/Tech
Stats Help
# Diggs: 659 (as of 2009-07-29)
Editorial Help
Posted by: Posted by Kaizar Campwala - Jul 29, 2009 - 11:07 PM PDT
Content Type: Article
Edit Lock: This story can be edited
Edited by: Derek Hawkins - Jul 30, 2009 - 7:40 AM PDT

Reviews

Show All | Notes | Comments | Quotes | Links
Chris Finnie
3.2
by Chris Finnie - Jul. 30, 2009

Doesn't fit most of the categories. But I found it amusing. It did, however, miss my favorite--the human backside. Try it. Stand up, reach back, and feel the nice padding behind you. Now sit down. Where is the padding? Under your weight? No. It is still behind you. Instead you are sitting on your hip joints. Bad design I say.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
William Hughes-Games
3.1
by William Hughes-Games - Jul. 30, 2009

Very amusing

How about sickle cell anemia that makes you immune to malaria but slow and dopey and kills some of your offspring.

See Full Review » (7 answers)

Comments on this story Help (BETA)

NT Rating | My Rating

Ratings

3.6

Good
from 4 reviews (46% confidence)
Quality
3.5
Information
4.0
Insight
3.3
Style
4.8
Context
1.0
Expertise
1.0
Originality
5.0
Relevance
1.0
Responsibility
3.0
Popularity
3.9
Recommendation
4.2
Credibility
3.5
# Reviews
2.0
# Views
5.0
# Likes
1.0
# Emails
1.0
More
How our ratings work »
(See these related stories.)

Links Help

No links yet. Please review this story to add some!