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spandrel
References
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spandrel

biology
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Learn about this topic in these articles:

  • Aristotle
    philosophy of biology
    / Form and function

    …which he compared to the spandrels in medieval churches—the roughly triangular areas above and on either side of an arch. Biological spandrels, such as the pseudo-penis of the female hyena, are the necessary result of certain adaptations but serve no useful purpose themselves. Once in the population, however, they persist…

    Read More

    …which he compared to the spandrels in medieval churches—the roughly triangular areas above and on either side of an arch. Biological spandrels, such as the pseudo-penis of the female hyena, are the necessary result of certain adaptations but serve no useful purpose themselves. Once in the population, however, they persist…

    Read More