>As an aside, I wonder if and how the opposable thumb and human 
>intelligence are related.  Any thoughts, anyone?
In "The Throwing Madonna: Essays on the Brain", neurophysiologist 
William Calvin outlines a compelling theory that links the evolution 
of human intelligence to the act of throwing (specifically throwing 
deadly projectiles at small rodents) which is of course easier with 
an opposable thumb. His home page is one of the best on the web:
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~wcalvin/
-- David McFadzean david@lucifer.com Memetic Engineer http://www.lucifer.com/~david/ Church of Virus http://www.lucifer.com/virus/