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We weren’t supposed to have chins

We weren’t supposed to have chins

60-Second Science vor 6 Monaten

Humans are the only species that has chins. A recent study sheds light on how that came to be and why evolution doesn’t always follow the rules

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Humans are the only species that has chins. How this unique trait
evolved has always been somewhat of a mystery. In this episode of
Science Quickly, host Kendra Pierre-Louis talks to
paleoanthropologist Lauren Schroeder, who co-authored a recent
study that sheds light on the evolutionary riddle of the chin and
the ways that evolution can sometimes occur unexpectedly.
Recommended Reading: “Is the Human Chin a Spandrel? Insights from
an Evolutionary Analysis of Ape Craniomandibular Form,” by Noreen
von Cramon-Taubadel et al, in PLOS One, Vol. 21, No. 1; January 29,
2026 E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any
questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover
something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign
up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is
produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and
Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with
fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music
was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices.
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