Double Face Palm

It seems I was not the only one to come up with the 'leap thing' today.

Regular readers (if there are any) will know that I am far from a scientist.

However today, a student asked me to assist him in explaining the role of variation in evolution.

I thought I would start with a simple question.

Did elephants always have long trunks?

Yes, was his emphatic answer.

Not a good start, I thought. I tried to re-phrase the question slightly.

Would you believe me if I told you that giraffes did not always have long necks?

No, he replied with certainty and finality.

I persevered, thousands of years ago, giraffes had short necks

No, he said again. They were not giraffes, giraffes have LONG necks.

It was at this point that I finally understood the phrase 'face palm.'

Later, the boy came to find me.

'Sir, I understand it now. Elephants do not always have long trunks. When they are born they have short trunks, as they grow older, their trunks get longer, this is evolution....'

It was at this point that I invented the phrase 'double face palm.'