Xref: utzoo sci.misc:1327 sci.bio:1087
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!mcvax!enea!tut!santra!news
From: news@santra.UUCP (news)
Newsgroups: sci.misc,sci.bio
Subject: Re: A Sneeze (AH-choo!) Question
Message-ID: <11869@santra.UUCP>
Date: 11 Apr 88 19:22:41 GMT
References: <7756@alice.UUCP> <939@xn.LL.MIT.EDU> <11360@santra.UUCP> <6753@ames.arpa>
Reply-To: s30986u@kaira.UUCP (Martin Helin)
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland
Lines: 19
Keywords: sneeze
Summary: Why does sudden exposure to the sunlight make you sneeze ?

>>In article <6753@ames.arpa> howard@pioneer.UUCP (Lauri Howard) writes:
>>I would be interested to
>>hear any suggestions why sudden exposure makes you sneeze in the first place.

>I was told it's genetic.

I find it a little bit hard to believe that it's genetic. That would imply
that seeing the sun is the only stimulus, which in turn starts the "sneezing-
mechanism". I relate inhereted behaviour to cases (for example) like beeing
afraid or cautious when confronting a snake, even if you have never seen one
in your life and you're too young to have learned that snakes are supposed to
be dangerous.
	Of course, I could be wrong ! Then the reaction beeing inhereted 
would be a neat explanation. If it is genetic another interesting question
arises : what possibly could be the function of this reaction ?

PS. "Lauri" sounds like a Finnish name to me - perhaps you, your parents or
your grandparents origin from Finland ? Do you understand any Finnish ?
(answer via e-mail, please)