/sci/ - Science & Math

>>1983726
Me again, I think I've found an interesting paper on the topic:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8748090

What it basically says is that it all boils down to the inversion of vision in the pupil.

The crossing of motor nerves in the medulla is a common feature of all vertebrates. Another shared feature is the eye. This kind of eye produces an inverted vision: What comes in from the right side is projected on the left side of your retina (See picture). Neurons are wired so that the information reaches the responsible areas in the brain as fast as possible.

Because of this it has been postulated, that by cross-wiring the motor neurons, the organism gains reaction speed: If you see a predator moving on your right side, the information is processed in the left side of the brain which can immediately coordinate a defensive reaction carried out by your right arm. I think this is a quite elegant and logical explanation.