The Professor

Exaptation

‘Click...tap, tap…tap,tap', that's all Kavita could hear when she entered Shristi's room. She took the bed beside her desk and began to take out her notes.
 
"The way to your house seems way longer now that my brother has got that bike of his. I don't need that bike but I can't shake off this feeling either. Just why has this envious feeling evolved in us anyway? What kind of survival instinct is that?"
 
"Indeed" Sri replied curtly and read through her essay. Her eyes moving along the length of the screen, her spectacles hanging midway her nose. She had tied her hair in a single braid and was wearing her usual T-shirt and shorts.
 
 
Kavita on the other hand was dressed nicely, her hairs clutched in a pony and wearing a floral flatter top with jeans.
 
"Finally done", Shrishti sighed with relief, arching back on her chair and stretching her arms. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
 
"Nevermind, just show me what you have written. Huh? Devolution, what's that? Weren't we supposed to write on Atavism? And whoa! 2000 words!"
 
"Yeah, thanks! Actually, the heading should have been 'Atavism as a mechanism of devolution' but that gives away too much, so I made it short."
 
"Doesn't give anything to me. Elaborate please" Kavita asked.
 
"Well, see, we all came from the sea when we had tails and flippers. Then we evolved feet and then fingers and then finally a thumb. But, cows retracted their fingers and developed two hooves, which are just two fingers"
 
"Wait, what? The hooves of a cow are its fingers?" Kavi asked, surprised.
 
"Indeed yeah, they are their middle and forefinger. So yes, when they show a leg they are actually making the peace sign. But, even funnier is the horse's finger. Its hoof is actually its middle finger, so yeah horses are really being rude when they stand on their hind legs and paw with the front ones."
 
"Lol! That’s hilarious"
 
"Anyway, so I was saying, we came from having no fingers to having five fingers, and these horses went backward to have only one again. This is reverse evolution or devolution. Well, if you don't agree then there are more examples, like whales although are mammals that went back into the sea and lost all their fingers and feet. I mean, come on, you spent countless generations to develop these features and then you spend countless more to go backward. Boy, they liked the good old days."
 
"Yeah! Seriously! My dad never shuts up talking about how much it was in his past. How much they used to respect their parents, like not eating in the same room, never raising their voice. They sure want our generation to devolve."
 
"Ya? What about us? Back to wearing sarees and marrying before 20, my ass," said Shrishti shaking her head.
 
"Yeah, damn right! Anyway, listen to what I want to write about. Have you heard about exaptations?
Features that evolved to something but ended up something else?"
 
"No, but it sounds something like ex-adaptation. Anyway, tell me all about it."
 
"Okay, so did you know that feathers in birds were first evolved to keep them warm? But later they turned out to be excellent for flying and now they fly. Amazing right? It is like you choose bio because you hate math and then realize, wow, this subject is amazing, and you decide to be a biologist."
 
The door of the room opens and a tall brown man walks in, "you may have just found out a word to describe all my life choices" says Mr. Swaminathan standing at the door, looking embarrassed. But, in contrast, Kavita's eyes almost popped out seeing her professor standing in her friend's house. She looked up at Sri to get an answer but Sri's face was unfazed. Totally lost, Kavita looks from her friend to her professor in utter bewilderment.
 
"Sorry I couldn't help hearing you guys, I was just standing outside. Um... Kavita can you give me a minute with my daughter? You can wait in the hall" Mr. Swaminathan said, ushering the startled Kavita out of the door.

~~~~~~~~