A hairy chin Photo: (Richard Riley CC BY 2.0)
We humans are unique in many ways. As bipedal hominids our powers of thought and language and emotion set us apart from other mammals.
We also cook our food, compulsively check our digital devices, and have a fondness for ethically sourced, artisanal produce which would be the envy of many in the animal kingdom (if only animals could experience envy, that is).
We're also unique in another way; our lower jaw protrudes outwards to the bit of bone we call a chin. And sorry, despite much debate in the office, your cat does not have a chin...we think...maybe...OK?!
Mysteriously, nobody really seems to know why we humans have evolved to have chins. James Pampush studies Evolutionary Anthropology, and chins, at Duke University.
A fine example of a cleft chin, sported by US President William McKinley Photo: (Public Domain)
Chin evolution 101 Photo: Supplied
