Maurer/Timm Quail Ridge UCD Student Endowment Order Books here Original Poems and Thoughts website Email Frank here: frankmaurer41@gmail.com

Poems and Thoughts by Frank Maurer

Search for:   All Poems   Topics   Titles   Help

Anatomy

Our Darwin's Tubercle (or Point) opus 23

A tiny bump at 10 o'clock on the right ear.
(This bump is at 2 o'clock on the left ear!)
But, to the point--why this small projection?
Ahh, another genetic take from the eons of life's change.

Where did we come from?
From what did we evolve?
Hmm. Some creature with pointed ears;
All that remains in our present morphology
To remind us of a very different origin!
Yes? An insectivorous, arboreal tree shrew!
Go to a source of historical knowledge and check it out.
And be overjoyed and humbled from whence we might have come.

(Note: This is what Darwin proclaimed in his The Descent of Man--1879--
to show how we might be related to other primates, many of which
do not have pointed ears! An unproven hypothesis, yet not completed.
But a nice story which I could not resist. A single gene with two
alleles, one of which is dominant. My poetic side thinks
It might still lead to something.)

Voice Changes opus 157

The voice depends mostly on the tautness and length of the vocal cords
And how tightly they contract as the air from the lungs hits them.
The voice of a child is high because the larynx is small,
The vocal cords being short, thin, and tight.
At birth the vocal cords (or folds) of both boys and girls measure about 2 millimeters long.
Those of girls grow 0.4 mm per year, while those of boys grow 0.7 mm.
Finally, girls' vocal folds reach 10 mm, while boys' are 16 mm,
Producing the lower or deeper voice of males.
With puberty, the larynx grows, the vocal cords lengthen and thicken,
Thus causing the voice of both males and females to deepen.
The further 'culprit' in boys is the additional flush of testosterone.
The female voice remains relatively higher, as explained, because of shorter cords.

As adults age, vocal cords become thinner,
The cartilage of the larynx becomes harder and less flexible,
Causing the alteration of the voice.
Thus the pitch of the voice changes with age:
Often rendering it to be higher in older men and lower in older women.
Additionally, the musculature of an elder's larynx
May weaken or cause a quavering quality called vocal tremors.
The voice may be further changed with a stooped posture
Or the lessening of lung capacity,
Thus reducing the air flow through the larynx, furthering voice alteration.

This is why older men with a remaining rich, robust voice,
Often cause remarks from others as to how young they sound!
Radio material.

Baby Bones opus 158

Newborn babies reportedly have 300 'bones',
Compared to an adult human, having only 206!
Really? (The secret is the 300 'bones' vs. 206 bones.)
To get through the birth canal,
The baby must be like the satellite in space,
Unfolding piece by piece to manifest the final morphology!
The so-called baby bones are actually pieces of cartilage,
Which, with maturity, will fuse into the final 206.

An example is the bregma, consisting of many soft spots
On the skull called fontanelles,
Most of which fuse by 2 to 3 months,
The last largest one fuses by about 18 months.
Just imagine--the final ossification process
In the human body occurs in the mid-20s!
And just think--a child can vote, learn to kill in the military,
Or drink itself to death before the 'final ossification'!

The Whistled 'S' opus 160

On the Canary Islands, people often communicate by whistling long distances in Silbo.
That kind of whistling, I was not thinking about, but rather a 'whistled S' with normal speech.
I have noticed, especially on NPR that a larger number of women announcers,
Than their male counterparts, have incessant, annoying 'whistling S's'.
Why is this annoying habit occurring mostly, as I perceive, on NPR?
Does NPR not vet its speakers more stringently than other media?
The radio's the medium of the voice and the voice should be one of its primary criteria.

Google says it is the shape of the mouth and placement of the tongue when creating the sound.
The actual whistle is from the air passing through the teeth in a certain way,
Causing a slight vibration which produces that sound.
One can get a shrill whistle when the teeth come too close together, or not close enough.
Dentures can add bulk to the palate, which produce this speech impediment.
The screeching 'S' can also occur with veneers, too thick or too long on the central incisors.
Those who become their own self-proclaimed cosmetic dentists,
Tend to concentrate on issues of aesthetics and ignore chewing, swallowing, and speaking.
It is the inner side of the teeth that is critical.
The prevalence of the whistling 'S', even occurring naturally, is unclear.
That which affects front teeth could be modified to make any change of significance,
Sometimes within a few hundredths of an inch.
There are many whistling 'Sers' who are dismayed with this condition--
And once one senses it, it is difficult to listen to.

The Whistled 'S'; An Addendum opus 161

The researcher, Zimman, discovered that no matter what the pitch,
A voice could be perceived as male, if the 's' sound were emitted in a lower frequency;
Such a sound is produced when the tongue is positioned farther away from the teeth.
The voice, whether masculine or feminine, is not just biologically determined,
But also is socially driven!
A deeper resonance, sounds as if emanating from the chest and not the head--
Actually the resonance is lower for people with the larynx deeper in their throats!
The positioning of the larynx is manipulated when young:
With male children, from use, the larynx is actually pulled down a bit,
While female children push the larynx up!
So, as a result of mimicking and social pressure,
The voice is partly manipulated into 'conformity' of that society!

Australian Singer, Genesis Owusu opus 177

Genesis Owusu has won every musical award in Australia
And is now planning to start performing in the US.
His family emigrated from Ghana, Africa, when he was a child.
He had to learn as a black immigrant just how to fit in.
His second album, following his successful debut, is 'Struggle', featuring 'Roaching'.
In this new musical presentation he sings about the cockroach--
Its ability to survive against 'great odds',
And in passing, poses the question does god value such a creature.
He then compares the stubborn and powerful cockroach to the human struggle--
'Like the cockroach we shall overcome all adversity' {my paraphrasing}.

As a biologist, I extrapolated and generally wondered about the 'survival of things'.
Cockroaches have an incredible ability to reproduce and adapt to available space and food.
Humans are incredibly able to survive by their reproductive 'ability'
(Partly through continuous female receptivity) and with always newly developed technology--
Clothing, agriculture, the domestication of the horse, the wheel, control of fire--
Cooking and producing 'soft food' has even caused the evolution of reduced molars,
Loss of a second stomach (the appendix), loss of the sagittal ridge
(Bone on the skull to accommodate attached extra masticating muscle),
Reduction of canine teeth--all with the help and backup of an opposable thumb!

Remembering that a 'good' parasite does not kill its host,
Again, one extrapolates in one's mind, on the human population as the 'dependant parasite',
And the planet as the 'host'; Will humans adapt to less usurpation of the 'host',
By once again, fostering technology and behavioral adaptation,
Thus preventing us from 'killing our host'?

'Vertebra' opus 259

(My daughter-in-law rarely communicates in any form, so it was a surprise
that I received a text! 5 January 2024.)

I have had an occasional visit from my 3 year old grandson, Rowan,
Who traversed my farm, talking with me about encountered objects.
He pointed out a whale vertebra, from one of my earlier biology jobs.
I repeated the word, 'vertebra', many times,
Also pointing out his own vertebrae, comprising his backbone.
My grandson had a great time and went back home.

Eight days later, his mother sent this text to me:

    Hi, Frank, sorry (as usual) for the lack of contact.
    I wanted to let you know something you would enjoy.
    Tonight Rowan said, "I hope my vertebrae are doing ok."
    I asked him where he learned such a sophisticated word.

    And he said, "From Papa Frank."

  It was quite impressive and very sweet.
  Thank you for teaching him these important things
  That he will carry forward in his life.
  I appreciate it.

I answered, "Yes, he liked that word. We were looking at
My whale vertebra then to his back."

Such an unpredictable, unforecast pleasure!

The Right-Handed Warthog opus 280

As I was perusing my recently acquired African Warthog skull--
Sustainably harvested from South Africa,
An old male with fairly worn tusks--
I noticed something noteworthy with both upper and lower tusks:
The normally long, sharp right tusks were both rounded,
Shorter, and somewhat dulled.
There was a clear differentiation between left and right.
I thought for a moment and realized that pigs root,
Especially with large tusks.
The animal had literally worn down the enlarged right teeth,
Rooting and searching for food over years of a lifetime!
Dentition of mammals is a utilized taxonomic character
And they evolved to function in each group,
Enhancing their specialities.
Consider our teeth, an omnivorous species,
Are very similar to--wait--those of bears and pigs!
Have fun thinking!

Rationalizing Age opus 319

While chatting on the phone with my son, Pierre, today,
I mentioned my continual, 'gentle', consistent pain
In my somewhat unsuccessful hip replacement.
I told him that at 82, to endure this
'Inconvenience' with my ambulation,
I just rationalize, and tell myself quietly,--
'I am only pretending that I am simply old!'

They 'Otter' get it Right - Another Dentition Story opus 367

Dentition in mammals is not only important for survival,
But also used to determine the relatedness of the various mammalian groups.
Sea Otters in the Monterey Bay area have been studied for many decades.
The interest in mammalian tool users is now more focussed research.
Abalone and softer shelled creatures are first choices for otter food,
But with more than 200 otters feasting in a concentrated area,
The use of rocks, bottles, and other harder scavenged materials
Are needed to crack snail shells and other more difficultly-opened armaments.
Using tools have allowed smaller individuals as well as females to successfully compete.
In addition, tool use has enhanced better tooth condition,
Which also has increased the successful survivability of otherwise vulnerable individuals.
Contrast this with how tool use in humans
Has caused the hominids to maintain otherwise larger hominoid canines!

See Dig Your Canines into this One!

Our Diastemas opus 387

When I mention to most people, asking what a diastema is,
The majority do not know--even if they exhibit one!
Of course, it is the space between front upper and/or lower incisors.
I lived with a diastema most of my life,
Until I needed to have partials (deciding that implants were too expensive).
As they were molded, I failed to mention I had a--now non-existent--diastema.
As a result the teeth in my upper jaw are all shifted to the left!
I am beyond vanity at nearly 83, and find it just one more fun talking point.

Having had this condition, I always noticed, especially in black Americans,
That many singers, speakers, politicians who sported a diastema.
My wondering came to an end, after a bit of research.
First, it is an African trait, whites exhibiting one because we are
all basically African!
In Africa (eg Ghana and Nigeria) with European prejudice,
Africans there were not valuing nor enjoying their diastemas,
But with independence, the whole concept flipped into a positive trend.
Today, 95 percent in Africa find MMD's (Maxillary Midline Diastemas)
very beautiful.
Moreover, 95 percent of the diastemaless population wish and actually
want to create one!
Genetically, developmental causes affect as many as 36 percent of black people,
While affecting as few as 3.5 percent in the caucasian population.
We in this country and possibly in Europe
Do not even think about a diastema and its influence on attractiveness,
But now-a-days in Africa and perhaps those in the western world,
Black people are very aware of the little space between their teeth!

A Greeting for my Eye Doctor opus 391

Ah, I have crawled over the ridge,
Seeking a life-giving watery oasis,
Ending my pain of thirst--

Now you enter into my presence
To relieve the pain of rogue lashes
Agonizingly plaguing the globe of my eye,
Lying beneath my bony supraorbital ridge.

Were Our Teeth Always in Our Mouths? opus 399

As humans evolved, the diet changed from grass and leaves,
To the discovery of raw meat, and finally fire and cooking.
The once adaptive large teeth have not kept up in their reduction
With the evolving smaller jaw--
And thus present-day crowding and molar extractions!
But from where did our teeth today evolve?
Two thoughts on the subject--odontodes--
Tooth-like structures found in the throat of Hagfish
Or the odontode structures on the rough skin of sharks!
Whichever finally proves to be correct,
The present-day teeth in our mouths
In the wonderful smile we see today
could never have been foreseen in their original state.

The Fate of Two Sons opus 530

The recent incident in Venezuelan waters reminded me
Of my Antioch Co-op job (1963) at a whale processing plant in California.
I was hired as a Federal employee to collect samples
From whales taken in that Pacific area, during the closedown
Of the last USA whaling station near Point Richmond.
(During that time, my brother, John, 20 years old,
Had been shot in the back by a hunter, perhaps miles away,
Who fired in the air, with no backing to shield the bullet's trajectory.
There was no sound as he dropped to the ground.)

Filmed by his father, a son with his packraft
Was taken into the mouth of a whale!
"I saw blue and white; I felt slime against my face and smelled the bad breath."
"I was released and I and my rubber boat were again on the surface!"
Father and son had been paddling to a nearby island to explore.
When asked if they would attempt to venture there again,
They both agreed they would definitely try once more.
The Humpback Whale could not have been able to swallow him,
He being spared because of the whale's narrow throat.
If one were swallowed (only possible by a Sperm Whale),
The acids in the four stomachs and lack of air would have been fatal.

My brother was lost and this young man was wonderfully spared.

Indohyus Becomes a Whale opus 534

The Indian geologist, A. Ranga Rao, came upon
A few fossil fragments in rocky areas of Kashmir.
Some teeth and part of a jawbone made up those fragments.
In spite of their future significance, the collection lay unnoticed for decades.
Indohyus, the size of a domestic cat, resembled a mouse-deer,
A small, deer-like mammal with a long snout, a tail and hooved feet.
The skeleton, with heavy leg bones, indicated it walked
On the bottom of lakes and rivers, hinting at a semi-aquatic lifestyle.
Why a return to the water? Food, fewer predators, exploration?
With adaptation, these semi-aquatic mammals, over several million years,
Transformed to the adept, aquatic cetaceans of today--
Whales of the present actually arose from a small, deer-like mammal!
Who would have guessed without the conclusions of scientific enquiry?
(But there is also the story of the hyrax,
Ancestor of the elephant, manatees, and dugongs.)
Check out these most interesting transformations
Of one very different life form to another.

Why the Difference in Human and Neanderthal Faces? opus 549

Neanderthals had stout jaws, broad noses, with features jutting forward.
Modern humans have modest and meek faces--flat and delicate.
The human face stops growing during adolescence (neoteny),
While the chimp and Neanderthal faces grow periodically longer,
Thus resulting in elongated, more 'robust' features.
Bone formation and bone resorption sculpt the facial bones
The Neanderthal face demonstrated 'restructuring' for a longer period,
The growth projecting forward, especially around the nose and cheeks.
This facial form may have aided their breathing and chewing.
In humans the early slowing of growth in adolescence,
Also showed less bone resorption, thus less cellular activity.
This gracilization as for humans, becomes more delicate in form,
Yields thinner bones, smaller muscles, and flatter faces.
Some reasons why are hypothesized: cooking and eating softer food;
Brain size, evolving larger, pushed the face down and in;
Or possibly the 'self-domestication' hypothesis,
Stating the selection resulted in more sociable,
Less aggressive appearing individuals.
Compare this to the domestication of dogs
Yielding floppy ears, curved tails, and shorter snouts.
The 'how' we now know, but the 'why' is yet to be discovered!

Tooth Structure Makes a Difference opus 556

The basic general concept concerning evolution,
Is that changes unfold over long time periods.
These are genetic changes which are affected through DNA.
We have already discussed the rapid adaptations in lizards.
New research is revealing rapid evolution,
Especially in the Cichlid group of fish.
The Cichlids can rapidly evolve teeth
Which are either 'simple' or 'complex'.
And more, this occurs quickly with gain or loss of the tooth type.
This rapid change allows successful exploitation of new food types.
The African Cichlids seem to have retained the genetic program,
Enabling them to easily switch, with tooth type, to another niche.
The switch between simple and complex (and back)
Drives the rapid formation of new species.
Thus Cichlids are able to form new species
More rapidly than any other vertebrate group.

What of the Pictish Stone Creatures' Orientations? opus 599

Having observed the many Pictish carved standing stones,
Created from about 500 AD to 800 AD in Northern Scotland,
I have often questioned the reason, most creature figures face to the right.
Although there probably is no correct answer,
There could be several reasons just why this had occurred.
Concerning cultural significance, such orientation may have symbolized
A connection to the afterlife or spiritual beliefs.
Perhaps it was due only to a common artistic convention.
Would a symbolic direction represent positive attributes or good fortune?
Perhaps there was a narrative flow or some historical influence.
Right-facing figures might have been part of certain rituals or ceremonies.
Finally, as most humans (90%) have been right-handed,
Their figures follow a flow of the eye from left to right.
Whatever caused this orientation, and without a true written language,
We may never know,
But instead must continue to marvel in their stone-carved figures.

The Intriguing Trilobite opus 601

Six hundred million years ago a modest-sized sea creature
Evolutionarily emerged onto earth's oceanic stage.
This creature was first 'discovered' in the 17th century,
By an Englishman, who noticed a body divided into three segments.
He designated this group improperly, but named them TRIlobites,
Because of the three basic portions of the shelled body.
That name has stuck for this generally well-known fossil group.
Over the 270 million years' reign, 25,000 various species evolved.
Those who are familiar with the wonderful morphology of these Arthropods,
The majority would not be able to describe the ventral side of this creature,
As the lower portion of soft parts almost never were fossilized.
After studying this group for a while,
Curiosity overcame me and I had to investigate.
No wonder only a very few ventral fossilizations have been observed--
There are a mass of legs, two antennae, mouth parts--
Mostly soft structures which normally do not fossilize.
Being a biologist, 'discovering' a new view on life,
I experienced here one of those 'highs of discovery'.
These are the things that can give discerning and inquisitive humans
A feeling of worth and joy by being a thinking and discovering person.

Recognition of the Skewed Nose opus 609

Being a biologist, I often look at the morphology of humans,
As well as that of fellow creatures.
I am fascinated, for instance, as to how a female newscaster might be chosen--
Certainly the ability to speak and relate the news,
But also, assuredly, from an attractive appearance.
I have a little game, 'nosing in' on the orientation of the other's 'nose-appearance'.
I often see a very attractive newscaster with a quite offset nose position.
Is such a morphology simply overlooked or not even contemplated upon?
For me, this might be one of the important criteria to contemplate.
There are many causes of nose orientation--I am considering those of minor causes.
The type of crooked nose or deviated septum occurs when the septum leans to one side.
About 80% of humans have some degree of deviated septum!
Causes might be with issues of the bones, cartilage, or other tissues in the nose.
In addition, causes might also be from birth irregularities, injury, or results from surgery.
But, most often, a crooked nose is the result of a deviated septum.
By homing in on this feature, I can actually contemplate
One more interesting feature of the human aspect.

The Fallacy of Pardoning Turkeys opus 702

This is a reconstruction of a letter I wrote years ago 
To President Obama concerning the pardoning of turkeys.

Dear Sir, (or whichever president you now may be).

I am a biologist (Ph.D.) and a small farmer,
Raising many fowl for forty years.
The custom of 'pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey'
Is a terrible disservice to our farming traditions.

FIRST, the turkey has done NOTHING for which to be pardoned.
Its 'crime' was to be selectively bred to have an extra large breast, 
Rendering it defenceless to survive more than a year or two.

SECOND, google the survival of 'pardoned' turkeys 
And realize they do not live for years, 
Retired on a 'retirement farm' in luxury, but rather,
Their weight is so excessive, they eventually cannot walk
And their legs collapse under the unusual weight.
This is just a falsehood to comfort children and squeamish adults.

THIRD, for children considering this action seriously,
They do not receive necessary and accurate information,
Concerning of what food is, and the reality
Of the necessary transfer of energy of all life,
One kind or another, to maintain the earthly food chain.
Some become vegetarians to avoid the problem,
But most relish meat and do not understand what 'food' really is.
We are biologically omnivores, consuming both plants and animals.
Consider our similar molar tooth structure, compared with bears and pigs--
We clearly evolved to have a wide diet as that of the above mentioned animals. 

Please might we stop this horrible misconception,
Pardoning a selectively reconstructed creature which would have never lived,
Except for the agricultural human desire to produce a larger bird,
Much like we have 'created' cows producing abnormally large amounts of milk,
And chickens which, unnaturally, lay an egg a day,
Not the normal twelve, to create a 'family'.

Please stop this artificial misconception about our food chain,
And absolutely cease creating the illusion that humans 
Could ever have the right, pardoning innocent creatures.

The Frightening New Adolescent Brain opus 721

The human brain silently rewires itself 
At ages 9, 32, 66, and 83, as seen from MRI data.
The first stage of early brain development
Is as one would think, the childhood stage, coming first,
And which transitions to the adolescent phase,
Lasting until the age of about 32 (not 20!).
This age shows neural efficiency rising and peaking at 32.
This age also marks the strongest rewiring shift of a lifespan.
The brain, then, does not change steadily over time,
But shifts through distinct eras, 
Which influence learning, vulnerability and resilience.
It is adulthood from 32, (becoming a 'true adult'),
To 66 that is the long period of structural stability.
At 66, early aging starts, with the weakening of white matter.
The changes in 'white matter' (nerve fiber bundles),
Are the communication network.
Late aging occurs at 83, 
When long-distance neural connections weaken.
The startling point here, at least for me is, are we marrying,
Starting our professions, making career decisions and so on,
While we are still in the newly defined adolescent stage?
Does this imply that criminal prosecutions, for instance, must be modified,
To consider the still-maturing brain, later than we suspected at 20?
As this knowledge becomes more commonly understood,
Our society might view criminal punishment in a whole new light--
As well, perhaps, of other implications for our maturing and aging brain.

The Mystery of Why Domestic Cats Have Vertical Pupils opus 729

Have you ever wondered why domestic cats have vertical pupils,
And in big cats like lions, tigers, jaguars, and pumas, the pupils are round?
The summary is this in the evolutionary story of various life cycles--

----Round pupils (humans, birds) give even focus across the entire
     depth of field during the day.
----Vertical pupils (cat, gecko) optimize depth perception, day and night.
----Horizontal pupils (goat, frog) optimize and give a panoramic
     field of view to detect predators.

These various pupil shapes are adaptations to their lifestyle.
Specifically, domestic cats are ambush predators 
And have a superior depth of field.
This allows them to better judge distance to their prey.
This pupil shape also helps cats to see side-to-side motions,
Making their small rodent prey easier to spot with their movements.
Unlike small domestic cats which are crepuscular actors,
Big cats which hunt diurnally and with round pupils,
Are capable of a clear focus across the entire long distance field of view.
Having vertical pupils, also gives its bearer camouflage,
As it breaks up the round shape of the eye,
And thus makes it harder for its prey to see the hidden predator.
There too, are geckos with vertical slits, having tiny round openings,
Cuttlefish with distinctive 'W'-shaped pupils,
And rays possessing crescent-shaped pupils.
Such aquatic species are benefitted by both round and horizontal pupils.
The other factors determining how an animal sees,
Are the number and distribution of rods and cones, 
Working in concert with pupil shape;
The shape of the lens is also important, for instance, 
In correcting chromatic aberration, resulting in excellent color vision.
So, wonder less about the different pupil shapes, because you now know!

Dinosaur Footprint Hunting opus 731

While teaching in Lesotho, Africa,
I had my first child, Pierre,
Who at two, 'followed' me around the countryside,
Collecting bees at night 
And finding dinosaur footprints in daylight.
This, all between my biology classes at the University.
One spectacular trip was to a large valley,
Where there were myriads of tumbled sandstone blocks,
Strewn randomly throughout the area.
I slowly walked amongst these boulders,
When suddenly I found my first prints.
A large, three-toed series of impressions,
Spread across the flat surface.
I carried with me plaster of paris, a water container,
Strips of cardboard and a clutch of paperclips.
I made a cardboard border around the print,
Tied together at the ends, with the necessary clips.
Water and plaster were mixed to a soft-solid consistency;
Then poured into the void, the print primed with vaseline.
Several prints were cast and then the waiting time.
Each was pulled up and removed, now in a solid state.
These prints were made in the seventies
And many remain today (2026) on my farm to our delight.
The five decades of preservation here on the farm,
Equals nothing to the 60 million years of waiting in the sandstone,
To be admired by humans today--
They, nowhere to be found during this creature's long past reign.