The sinister kind

Published on March 22 2006

What Makes a Lefty: Myths and Mysteries Persist - Yahoo! News An interesting article on left-handedness, and the possible explanations for why we southpaws are the way we are. I learned something new from the article though, when I read this:

In a twist on the genetic model, the gene for hand preference might also be the gene for hair whorl direction, the way a person's hair turns on the top of their head. Half of people with counterclockwise whorls prefer their left hand, according to research by Amar Klar at the National Cancer Institute. The same system that patterns hair and handedness could also play a role in the asymmetrical organization of the brain. "It is clear that the same genetics control both traits, along with the side of the brain where language is processed," said Klar.

If you only could have seen me sitting in my chair here, unconsciously examining the top of my head trying to figure out which direction my hair whorls. All I would have needed was for somebody to walk in on me at that second, and they'd have been sending the men in the white suits for me. Oh yeah, it whorls counterclockwise.