The human spine acts like a weight-bearing column. Compare this to the spine of a horse, which acts like an elastic suspension bridge. Which organism would you predict to experience more back pain and why?
A. the horse, because its spine is less evolutionarily advanced
B. the horse, because its spine supports more organ systems than human spines
C. the human, because in order to walk upright, the spine is compressed
D. the human, because of longer neurons
Answer:C
The human spine acts like a weight-bearing column. Compare this to the spine of a horse, which acts like an elastic suspension bridge. Which organism would you predict to experience more back pain and why?
A. the horse, because its spine is less evolutionarily advanced B. the horse, because its spine supports more organ systems than human spines C. the human, because in order to walk upright, the spine is compressed D. the human, because of longer neurons