[PurVirgo]

I think there a couple of interesting arguments that can go either way. Like, if the gene for right-handedness is inhereted, and there is no gene for left-handedness, why do those that lack the gene prefer the left hand? After all, humans learn by mimicry.

Secondly, how is it that humans are the only species with a gene for hand preference? (I think that's neat myself)

Dunno, I think it goes beyond writing, which is mostly training and practice.

Does the ambidextrous person, who is mostly "right handed" exhibit the same kind of brain development also? What about the "left handed" person who is forced to use their right hand? Is their brain development the same as a right handed person?

[Tall_Texan]

Large birds also show a preference in "footedness". My parrot always holds her food in her left foot while eating, never the right foot. It's comical. She looks like somebody at a party clutching their drink. She'll even wave the left foot around sometimes while holding food in it.

I'm told their are university studies being done (your tax dollars at work) to determine if there is anything humans can learn from parrots in regard to this righty-lefty stuff.

[nicmarlo]

What about the "left handed" person who is forced to use their right hand?

My grandmother was forced to be right-handed by the nuns. There was payback: I'm left-handed; so are my two sisters and brother. My other two brothers are right-handed. Of my aunt's four kids, two are left-handed. I'm not sure about my uncle's 3 kids, but I bet at least one of them is left-handed. So out of just the 10 grandchildren between my mother and her sister's kids, 6 are left-handed. (My two daughters, to my surprise, are righties).