By “we” I suppose I mean all vertebrates? Are there any exceptions?
It seems to me like having your digestive tract be separate from your breathing tract could be a beneficial mutation. Why do we have a single tract with valves to switch between “stomach mode” and “breathing mode”? Are there any advantages to it?
In: Biology
The lungs seem to have developed from pockets in the esophagus that allowed fish to gulp down some air increasing their access to oxygen. So the connection of the larynx and upper esophagus is just an evolutionary vestige – this feature was/is convenient enough that there was no evolutionary pressure to fully separate the pathways of air and food intake, the epiglottis closing the larynx to prevent water or food from getting into the trachea works just fine.
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