re: #395 calochortus

I recently had a potholder shift a bit while holding a baking sheet just removed from a 450° oven. Is it wrong that after I reflexively dropped it, while holding my thumb under cold running water, I was impressed that I had dropped the hot thing before my brain registered the heat? Kind of interesting, but I won’t be repeating it to see if it happens every time, thankyouverymuch.

You actually did drop it before your brain registered the heat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withdrawal_reflex
When a person touches a hot object and withdraws their hand from it without thinking about it, the heat stimulates temperature and danger receptors in the skin, triggering a sensory impulse that travels to the central nervous system. The sensory neuron then synapses with interneurons that connect to motor neurons.[2] Some of these send motor impulses to the flexors to allow withdrawal; some motor neurons send inhibitory impulses to the extensors so flexion is not inhibited - this is referred to as reciprocal innervation.[3]