Humans are arguably the most bizarre creatures in the animal kingdom. The proof is in the many gross, unnecessary, contradictory and simply inexplicable things we do. And of course we're different in our capacity to ponder all these oddities and sometimes figure a few out.
This romp through the LiveScience archives reveals why we...
Lie, cheat, fall in love, kiss, blush, have sex, die?
Have fingernails, have an appendix, an Adam's apple, curly pubic hairs?
Part our hair, crack our knuckles, get goose bumps, shiver when cold? Blink without noticing, see spots in our eyes, cry when slicing onions?
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Burp, fart, itch, stink, struggle to find a mate?
Get freckles, get birthmarks, hear ringing in our ears?
Spread urban legends, enjoy hearing voices, see things that aren't there? Join cults, believe in ghosts, fall for placebos, believe in UFOs?
Don't understand consciousness?
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Yawn, sleep, dream, snore, laugh, cry, procrastinate?
Get sleepy after lunch, get sleepy after sex, can't sleep at all?
Grind our teeth, stress so much? Stay monogamous? Work so hard, can't handle success, don't take vacations, die from stress?
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See, hear, gossip, talk, talk too much, can't hold our tongues?
Have big brains, got so smart, can't find our keys, get deja vu?
Love music, love eyes, can't resist beauty, nip and tuck so much? Fight with our spouses, wear too much perfume, ignore our wives?
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Smoke, gamble, get fat, love sugar, catch the flu?
Love to be scared, have a belly button, close our eyes when we sneeze?
Get brain freeze, hiccups, Charlie horses, zits? Feel pain, feel the pain of others, crave violence, have culture?
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Walk upright? Grow old? Turn gray? Go bald?
Are optimistic, grow more so with age? Look like our lovers when we get old?
Hate losing, cling to bad habits, remember traumatic events? Suppress bad memories, love to provoke anger, act selfishly? Chase immortality?
