Jon writes:
The counter arguments are that a system completely separating speech/breathing from eating would be ideal to such a degree as to warrant the excess hardware and all the complications that might come along with this.
The existing system does seem to reflect the "just good enough" method of evolution. We only "need" a system good enough or some of us to reproduce before we choke.
A designer would be more likely to build in backup systems, "just in case" instead of just good enough, like a spacecraft.
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