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Desert Diary
Biology/Head Tilt

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Want to do a little research? All you have to do is to be a bit of a Peeping Tom, and you can find out whether our Chihuahuan Desert folk fit a common pattern. It's long been known that for the first 6 months or so after birth, humans have a preference for turning the head to the right. A recent report suggests that this tendency isn't turned off then, but has ramifications into adulthood.

Now, noses are rather necessary, but they do tend to get in the way when two people kiss--the result, of course, is that people tilt their heads when kissing. The author of the report, observing in public places such as airports, parks, and beaches, carefully recorded the direction of head tilt of people kissing in those places. What did he find? Roughly a 2:1 ratio of right tilters to left tilters, about the same as for favoring right over left ears, eyes, or feet (but not hands, where the ratio is about 8:1). How about it, do we desert rats fit the mold?
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Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.

Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.

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References

Gunturkun, O. 2002. Adult persistence of head-turning asymmetry. Nature, 421:711.

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