‘Studying the Superhuman’ – Met als voorbeeld Ernest Hemingway’s polydactyle kat ‘Snow White’
6 September 2019
10:00
An examination of sixth fingers hints at what our body – and mind – is capable of
At Ernest Hemingway’s old home in Key West, Fla., you’ll find bromeliads and date palms, a hand-crafted wooden yacht and an in-ground pool—the only one within 100 miles at the time of its construction. You’ll also find roughly 50 cats, most of which have six toes on their front feet instead of five. As legend has it, after a booze-soaked evening at a local bar, Hemingway was given their six-toed ancestor, “Snow White,” by a waylaid ship captain. On the high seas, these so-called polydactyl cats were cherished for their superior balance and unmatched mousing abilities. Snow White and cats like her also highlight an important concept in neuroscience: the developing brain is flexible enough to wire up to whatever body it finds itself attached to—even if that body is more complex than a “typical” one.
