Master class for rolling the tongue into a tube. Medical myths: is the ability to roll your tongue into a tube a matter of genes? How to roll your tongue into an accordion

Genetics lessons at school come at the most unfortunate time - when you want to study biology more in practice, rather than in theory, and homework is given only in the most extreme cases. Therefore, the terminology of this section remains mysterious and frightening for many. In reality, everything is not so complicated. In the “Simply About Complex” section, T&P talks about these and much more complicated things.

Until about the middle of the 19th century, scientists believed that hereditary information is transmitted in much the same way as liquids are mixed in a glass - if you add red to white, you get pink. In the same way, for example, a European woman and an African man will give birth to a mulatto child. Many tried to check how fair this was, but the first who was lucky enough to get an answer was the Austrian monk Gregor Mendel.

For the first 35 years of his life, Mendel failed all sorts of biology exams one after another, but this did not stop him in his love for science - and instead of teaching, he began conducting experiments on peas in the monastery garden, which took him about 7 years. By crossing plants that differed only in the color of the flowers (white and red), Mendel found that the descendants of the first generation (later called hybrids) had all the flowers of the same color, red. Mendel conducted the same experiments with yellow and green peas, plants that produced smooth and wrinkled seeds. The result was the same every time - all the hybrids were uniform. Mendel began to call the trait that appeared in all plants in the first generation dominant.

But this was only the first part of the experience. The restless monk continued to work like a bee, and in the literal sense of the word: he pollinated the flowers of the resulting hybrids with their own pollen. It would seem that here, for sure, all the flowers of the “descendants” should be the same color as those of the “parents”. But, oddly enough, only 75% were red, and the remaining 25% were... white. Mendel was a rather persistent scientist, and before drawing any conclusions, he studied about 20 thousand second-generation hybrids, processed the data obtained and, thanks to his knowledge of probability theory, was able to formulate his greatest discovery.

The essence of Mendel's “gamete purity hypothesis” is quite simple. The sex cells of the “father” and “mother” each carry (in addition to all other information) their own information about the color of the flower. And during the process of fertilization, the new organism receives, respectively, two versions of this data. And how the flowers of young shoots will look depends on how the options compare.

At that time, Mendel did not yet know that the main carrier of information in living organisms is deoxyribonucleic acid, that is, DNA. Its longest molecules, like a tape recorder, contain information about the details from which an animal or plant is “assembled” - the color of the eyes, the length of the tentacles or the shape of the petals. Each trait is responsible for one or more sections of DNA called genes. It is the genes that “explain” to the proteins what they should be, and from the proteins (or with their direct participation) everything that will later become the petals, tentacles or iris of the eye is built.

Obviously, a pea flower with two "red" or two "white" genes will be red or white, respectively. And the most interesting thing begins when the genes responsible for red and white colors are found in the plant. If traits were inherited as Mendel’s predecessors assumed, then such “half-hearted” plants would have a soft pink color. In fairness, it should be noted that in some species this happens; this phenomenon is called incomplete dominance. This means that neither gene can take over, and as a result, the influence of both genes is noticeable in the body. In most organisms, some traits can completely suppress the presence of others. And suppressed, that is, recessive traits (such as the white color of a flower) can only appear when two absolutely identical recessive sets from both parents “meet” in the body.

A funny example of a dominant gene in humans is the ability to roll the tongue into a tube. When both genes in a pair are dominant, this ability manifests itself, causing the envy of classmates and friends in kindergarten. But if one gene is dominant and the other is recessive, this tricky skill, as a rule, still needs to be learned. Needless to say, for those who have both genes recessive, it does not shine at all.

The human body is designed in such a way that it cannot do some tricks.
Although many people believe that they can create any trick with their own body.
Now you will see some examples, if you want, try to repeat it.
But nothing is impossible, even this can be learned.
1. Raise one eyebrow. How to learn to raise one eyebrow?

The ability to raise eyebrows is an evolutionary trait. Baboons, mandrills and capuchins raise their eyebrows as a threat.
Although most people cannot raise one eyebrow, it can be learned.

Start by holding one eyebrow down with one hand and lifting the other with the other hand.

Continue to practice this position in front of a mirror to understand what muscle movements are involved in raising the eyebrow.

Once you are familiar with the "mechanism", try doing it without using your hands.

Practice in front of the mirror until you get it right. Good luck!

Lick your elbow

It is known that 99 percent of people cannot lick their own elbow, and 90 percent of people who are told about it immediately try to do it.
For some people, this task is quite doable, and every day about 5 people try to apply for the Guinness Book of Records for the ability to lick their elbow.
Move your ears. How to move your ears?

Not many people in the world can move their ears, and scientists have found out why. Unlike the facial muscles, the auricular muscles have their own accessory nerve in the brainstem. Compared to animals, especially cats and bats, this part is very small in humans.
If you don't know how to move your ears, there are a few tips to help you achieve this:
- To learn to move your ears, you need to find the muscles that move them.
- Smile widely and see your ears lift slightly. You can also squeeze your molars to feel the muscles.
- Repeat these movements several times to develop the muscles that move the ears.

Reach the tip of the nose or chin with your tongue

The ability to touch the tip of the nose or chin with the tongue is a genetic trait. About 10 percent of people can perform this action, and 5 times more people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which causes joint hypermobility.
If you are one of the few who can perform this trick, you can practice:
- Extend your tongue in a straight line in front of you, as if “making a dot” with the tip of your tongue.
- Lower your upper lip down over the top row of teeth.
- Helping yourself with your lower lip, curl your tongue over your upper lip to reach your nose.
Remember that not everyone will be able to do this.

Tongue tube and other tongue tricks

Previously, it was believed that the ability to roll the tongue into a tube was genetic and determined by the presence of a dominant gene. Rolling the tongue into a tube was often a kind of test showing the presence of dominant and recessive genes in a class. However, subsequent studies on twins showed that this ability is influenced by both genetics and environment.
Here are some more tongue tricks that most people won't be able to do.

Sneeze with your eyes open

We cannot sneeze with our eyes open because the sneezing center in the brain sends coordinated motor impulses to the nerves that control the muscles of the abdomen, chest, diaphragm, neck, face, eyelids and various sphincters, all automatically.
If you keep your eyes open while sneezing, can they fly out of their sockets? The hosts of the television show "MythBusters" tried this.

Tickle yourself


Almost all of us have areas that are sensitive to tickling, and loved ones know how to take advantage of it.
However, a person cannot tickle himself and there is a scientific explanation for this. The fact is that the cerebellum, which is responsible for this reaction, anticipates our own movements and cancels the response of other areas of the brain to self-tickling.

Finger trick: "paralyzed finger"


Try the following experiment: bend your middle finger as shown in the picture and place your hand on the table. Now try lifting your thumb, index finger and little finger. Now try to lift your ring finger. Didn't work out?
The fact is that the tendons of your fingers are independent of each other, with the exception of those in the middle and ring fingers. These tendons are connected and therefore, when the middle finger is bent, you cannot move the ring finger. There is a feeling as if the ring finger is paralyzed.

Foot trick: draw the number 6 by moving your foot clockwise

Can you do several things at once? Try the following experiment. Sitting on a chair, raise your right leg and draw circles with your foot in a clockwise direction. While you're doing this, draw the number 6 with your right hand. You will see that your leg has changed direction.
Also try twisting your right foot counterclockwise while drawing the number 8 with your right hand.
Another trick: simultaneously twist the index fingers of both hands clockwise. Do it slowly at first and then increase the speed. Perform the task as quickly as possible, and soon both of your fingers will be moving in opposite directions.

Suffocate while holding your breath. How long can a person hold his breath?

It is physically impossible to commit suicide by holding your breath.
After all, we have a reflex whereby stagnant gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen are expelled from the lungs by exhaling deeply. Even if you force yourself to overcome this reflex, you may faint due to lack of oxygen to the brain. After you faint, your mouth will open and your lungs will start working again.
In general, a person is able to hold his breath twice as long under water as on land by holding his nose and mouth (the record is 10 minutes). On average, a person can hold their breath for 30 seconds to 2 minutes underwater. The record for holding your breath underwater is held by freediver Stig Severinsen and is 22 minutes.

Biology teachers at school teach us that the ability to roll the tongue into a tube is determined by a dominant gene. Some people can do this, and some people by definition cannot. The textbooks tell us the same thing. Is this true? The question is, of course, strange, but it began to interest me since, after a school lesson, my friend, who does not know how to roll her tongue into a tube, began to learn how to do it. And I learned!

Of course, if a person I know has learned to do this, I believe my eyes, and not the words of the teacher. But I still wanted a scientific explanation, or rather, a refutation of this “genetic” theory.

And finally, I came across a page that contains a summary of information on this topic with links to researchers. I present this information to your attention.

So, let's start with the help:

• the percentage of people who can roll their tongue varies from 65 to 81;
• There are people who can only curl the tip of their tongue a little, and they cannot be classified as being able or unable to curl their tongue into a tube;
• some people, especially in childhood, cannot curl their tongue when first asked to do so, but later learn to do so;
• Studies have shown that the rate of tongue-rolling among Japanese schoolchildren increases from 54% at the age of 6-7 years to 76% at the age of 12, suggesting that more than 20% of the population learns to roll their tongue at this age.

The fact that people manage to curl their tongues after failing to do so the first time is proof that this ability is not purely genetic. But nevertheless, let's move on.

The American geneticist Sturtevant in 1940, comparing parents and their offspring, obtained interesting results. Just to get started, let’s introduce some conventions. Let people "S" roll up their tongues, but people "N" not.

Sturtevant confirmed that this ability is only partly dependent on genetics. In this case, the “C” gene (conventionally designated as such by me) dominates the “H” gene.

Geneticist Komai conducted a similar study in 1951, but with a much larger number of “subjects”, obtaining similar results:

Both studies showed that people whose parents know how to roll their tongue into a tube greatly increase the likelihood of having this ability, compared to those whose parents speak the language less well :) It turns out that there is, of course, a genetic influence. However, this is just an influence. If the dependence were purely genetic, then (under conditions of dominance of the C-gene over the N-gene) parents who do not know how to roll their tongues could not give birth to a child with this wonderful ability. But as we see, they are born, and it is even difficult to call them unique; these are not rare exceptions. So it’s not so simple with this myth.

It becomes especially difficult if we note another study. In 1952, a man named Matlock discovered that out of 33 pairs of identical twins, 7 pairs consisted of one "C" and one "H" twin. Further studies of the twins led by other scientists yielded similar results.

So, scientific research proves to us that the ability to roll the tongue into a tube is not determined by genes, although it partially (!) depends on them. And this was known already then, fifty years ago. And now, tell me HOW? How, knowing all this - knowing that even among identical twins there are similar discrepancies - can one say, and even more so, teach children at school that all this is pure genetics? You can’t help but wonder what else they could teach us at school...

Many biology teachers use tongue curling as a basic example of the transfer of genetic information from parents to children. For a long time, people believed that this ability depended solely on what kind of genes you had.

That is, if your parents can roll their tongue into a tube, then you can cope with this task. However, is this really the case?

Initial data

Back in 1940, Alfred Sturtevant stated that the curling of the tongue into a tube is a sign of the influence of a dominant gene on a person - accordingly, it is for this reason that many believe that this process clearly demonstrates kinship. Even in biology textbooks for a long time this example was one of the basic and simplest. But what actually lies behind this human ability? Is it really all determined solely by genetics?

Reality

Naturally, no one can refute the influence of genetics in this matter, but scientist Philip Matlock refuted Sturtevant's theory by conducting a simple experiment. He took thirty-three pairs of identical twins and asked them to roll their tongues into a tube. In most cases, the dominant gene theory was confirmed, that is, both children could either curl their tongues or not. However, seven pairs of twins demonstrated complete refutation - one of them could roll his tongue, and the other could not.

Of course, scientists are still working to fully explain this phenomenon, but it is impossible to exclude the influence of the gene - however, it is impossible to completely explain this ability exclusively to it. By the way, Sturtevant's theory still has enormous support, people believe in it, and sometimes it comes to the point of absurdity - children who cannot curl their tongues like their parents do consider themselves adopted.

Most people can curl their tongue into a tube. This skill is due to both genetic and environmental factors. If you are in the minority and cannot curl your tongue, you may not be able to do so despite persistent efforts. Although there is no guarantee that you will succeed, it is still worth trying - it is possible that you will be able to do something that has not worked before!

Steps

Rolling the tongue into a tube

Press your tongue against your lower palate. In other words, place it at the bottom of your mouth. By doing this, you will provide the free space above the tongue necessary for further actions - you will need it at the training stage. In fact, that's all you need. The lower teeth and palate will create a surface that will help roll the tongue into a tube.

Straighten your tongue, placing it on the lower palate. Try to press your tongue to all three sides of your mouth at the same time, ignoring the back of your mouth. Stretch your tongue, pressing it to the side surfaces. At the same time, you will feel how the tongue is pressed against the bases of the lower teeth.

Fold the edges of the tongue separately. Try to alternately bend the left and right edges of your tongue upward. At the same time, continue to keep the middle of the tongue pressed against the lower palate. Straining first one side of your mouth, then the other, lift the corresponding edge of your tongue. For example, while tightening the left edge, continue to press the right edge of the tongue against the lower teeth on the right side. Try to touch the raised part of your tongue to the upper palate. After this, do the same with the second edge of the tongue.

Curl the edges of the tongue at the same time. By learning to curl the edges of your tongue individually, you will increase its flexibility. Pressing the center of the tongue against the lower palate, lift first one edge, then the other. As a result, the center of the tongue will remain pressed against the palate, and its curved edges will touch the upper palate. If you look in the mirror, you will see that your tongue begins to curl into a tube.

• If, after looking in the mirror, you find that the center of the tongue is curved and behind the lower palate, practice a little more, pressing it to the lower palate and alternately bending the edges up. At the same time, the muscles of the central part of the tongue tense, which bend its edges. These same muscles should press the center of the tongue to the lower palate.

1. Maintaining the shape of your tongue, move it out of your mouth. When you open your mouth, you will see in the mirror that your tongue is shaped like a pie. As you stick it out of your mouth, continue to tense the muscles of your tongue, keeping its edges raised. Press the back of your tongue against your lower front teeth. When your tongue comes out of your mouth, hold it with your lips, maintaining a rounded shape.

   • While sticking your tongue out, you can use an object to wrap your tongue around it, such as a drinking straw, to help you maintain the shape of your tongue. As you do this, press the edges of your tongue against the sides of the straw. If you feel that the center of the tongue begins to push the straw up, moving it away from the edges of the tongue, return it to its original position and restore its rounded shape. Repeat the exercise until you can do without a straw.

   Rolling the tongue into a two-leaf clover

   1. Straighten your tongue along your lower palate. Try to touch the front of your tongue and the sides of your tongue to your bottom teeth, without paying attention to the base of your tongue. Tighten your tongue, continuing to press it against the lower palate. You will feel the edges of your tongue resting on the base of your lower teeth. Try to keep it as flat as possible.

      Curl your tongue into a tube in your mouth. If you can't do this, practice the previous step first. You need to learn how to roll your tongue into a tube and easily hold it in this position. You must hold the curled tongue without using your lips, otherwise you will not be able to roll it into a two-leaf clover.

      Press the tip of your tongue against the base of your two upper front teeth. The goal is to learn to move the tip of the tongue independently of its lateral edges and middle. First, try to touch the base of your upper front teeth with the tip of your tongue. At the same time, continue to keep the edges of the tongue curved upward. To maintain the shape of your tongue, you may have to press the edges of the tongue against the roof of your mouth.

      • Touch the very tip of your tongue to the base of your upper front teeth. If any part of your tongue still touches your front or other teeth, pull it back a little. At the same time, continue to press the tip of your tongue against your front teeth. This exercise will help you identify the muscles of your tongue (anterior medial and lateral muscles).

   2. Lick the back of your top two front teeth. Do this with the very tip of your tongue. The sides of the tongue should remain motionless. Make sure they don't fall down. If you are unable to keep them in an elevated position, try again. You will be successful when you can bend the tip of your tongue inward.

      • This is the most difficult stage, requiring the longest training. But if you are determined to achieve success, repeat the exercise again and again, and you will succeed.
      • If you are having difficulty at this stage, try curling the front of your tongue upward, not just the tip. This is not easy to do. If you feel that the sides of your tongue are moving along with the front of your tongue, try repeating the exercise more slowly. These sides must be relaxed, otherwise they will retract into the depths of the mouth.

   3. Practice holding the front of your tongue in a curved position without using your teeth. At the same time, to keep the sides of the tongue motionless, you can rest them on the lower teeth. When bending the tip of your tongue, help yourself with your front teeth first. Then practice sticking your tongue out of your mouth while maintaining its shape. With enough practice, you can curl your tongue into the shape of a two-leaf clover without using your teeth.

   Rolling the tongue into a three-leaf clover

   Straighten your tongue in your mouth. It is necessary to place the tongue on the lower palate and stretch it out. Press your tongue against your lower palate and the bases of your lower teeth. In order to shape the tongue into a three-leaf clover, you will have to use the entire tongue.

   1. Roll your tongue into a tube and, stretching it out, bring it to your finger. Don't help yourself with your lips, holding the shape of your tongue. Bring your finger closer to your tongue without putting it in your mouth. When practicing the trick, you will need some space to move your tongue back and forth.

      • One of the possible ways is to curl your tongue into a tube and stick it out of your mouth, bringing it to your finger. After this, pointing your finger upward, place it under your tongue. The fingernail should be located under the tip of the tongue. Pull your tongue back and push your finger straight up. Do this by choosing a comfortable position for your finger.

   2. Hold the tip and sides of the tongue so that its edges on the left and right sides of the finger bend inward. When you curl your tongue into a two-leaf clover, the muscles in these areas remain relaxed. They shouldn't strain themselves. In this case, the tip of the tongue, curled into a tube, will bend upward, as if forming a separate, third sheet. This is the most difficult stage and will require some training to master.

      • If you haven't mastered rolling your tongue into a two-leaf clover before, practice that first. It takes a lot of time to curl your tongue into a three-leaf clover. O Greater dexterity and flexibility. Once you master the two-leaf clover method, you will learn to control the tip of your tongue independently of its sides. You will need this skill in this method.

   3. Practice until you can't do without your finger. As you practice, you will need your finger less and less to hold the tip of your tongue. Eventually you will be able to roll your tongue without using your finger. Each time you curl your tongue into the correct position, move your finger away from it. After some training, you will be able to hold the shape of your tongue without a finger.

      • Take breaks during your workouts. Otherwise, the tongue muscles, unaccustomed to such loads, may become tired, which will make further training difficult for some time and slow down your progress.