07/25/07: Updated the coccyx entry to be clearer on why I feel it really isn’t needed. Fixed a few grammatical errors.
I’ve always been fascinated with human evolution. To me, the most fascinating part of human evolution is learning about what was “left behind” on our bodies from our ancestors. Also are left overs from prenatal development.The list is actually much longer than one would think. Here is a list I’ve compiled from some simple Google research.
Appendix
- We all know about this one. You might even know someone who has had it removed. The appendix is a narrow, muscular tube attached to the large intestine. A common misconception is that this organ was used for digesting raw meat. It was actually used in our plant chewing days. It would aid in the digestion of cellulose. As the human diet changed, this organ stopped functioning, as it was no longer used. To be noted though, the appendix is rich with infection-fighting lymphoid cells, which leads some to think it still plays a role in our immune system. If the appendix did have this function, one would tend to believe that its routine removal would cause ill side effects.
Paranasal Sinuses
- For as far back as I can remember, my mother always had sinus problems. Sometimes so bad she’d have to lay down just to make the pain bearable. Ironically, the sinus cavity serves little to no purpose for a human. The presence of our sinus cavities however actually do make our heads weigh less. The sinus cavity also adds warmth and moisture to the air we breathe.In animals with an heightened sense of smell (like a dog or cat), the sinus cavities are lined with olfactory tissues. Some scientists believe that our ancestors had a much better sense of smell (our DNA contains broken genes for additional odor receptors) but for some reason we lost that ability. Possibly as man grew more intelligent and our hunting techniques evolved, better ways of hunting emerged without the use the sense of smell.
- Vomeronasal Organ
- A tiny pit on each side of the septum is lined with non functioning chemo-receptors. They may be all that remains of a once extensive pheromone-detecting ability.Taken from Wikipedia:
Anatomical studies demonstrate that in the vomeronasal organ regresses during fetal development, as is the case with some other mammals, including apes, cetaceans, and some bats. There is no evidence of a neural connection between the organ and the brain in adult humans. Nevertheless, a small pit can be found in the nasal septum of some people, and some researchers have argued that this pit represents a functional vomeronasal organ. Thus, its possible presence in humans remains controversial.
- A tiny pit on each side of the septum is lined with non functioning chemo-receptors. They may be all that remains of a once extensive pheromone-detecting ability.Taken from Wikipedia:
Coccyx (AKA: The Tail Bone)
- The coccyx is a set of fused vertebrae at the bottom of the spinal column. This is another useless remain of our ancestral past. It’s all that’s left of our tails, which disappeared from hominids before they began walking upright. The coccyx does serve as somewhat of a shock absorber, though that was not it’s original function.It is true that the coccyx has nine muscles attached to it, such as the muscle that is “necessary” for defecation. It should be noted that the coccyx, if surgically removed, does not cause any apparent health issues.
- Extrinsic Ear Muscles
- These three muscles most likely made it possible for prehominids to move their ears independently of their heads (again, like a cat or dog). We still have these muscles which is why most people can learn how to wiggle their ears.
Toes
- While losing ones toes would cause problems with walking for awhile, we technically only need our big toe as a function to help keep our balance. Our toes were most likey used at one point for grasping on to things and climbing.
- Neck Rib
- This is a set of cervical ribs commonly thought to be leftovers from the age of reptiles. They still appear in less than 1% (about 1 in 200) of humans, and in rarer cases a person may not just have one but have two neck ribs. Unfortunately, these can cause nerve and artery problems.
Darwin’s Point
- Take your finger and run it along the the inner edge of your ear. Near the top you’ll notice a small piece of skin that is almost like a point. If you can’t find it, don’t worry not all humans still carry this. They believe that this may be a remain of a larger shape that helped us focus on distant sounds.
- Third Eyelid
- Somewhere along the evolutionary journey we actually had a third eye lid, much like you see on a frogs, for example. Humans retain a tiny fold in the inner corner of the eye.
- Palmaris Muscle
- This muscle (if you have it, only 11% of humans do) is a long and narrow muscle that runs from the elbow to the wrist. It is believed it may have been an important muscle for hanging and climbing. If you ever need reconstructive surgery, this muscle might be harvested for that purpose. Perhaps this should be called a human replacement part.
Subclavius Muscle
- This muscle stretches under our shoulder from the first rib to the collarbone. It would still be a useful part if humans still walked on all fours. Not all humans have one and a small number of us actually have two.
- Male Nipples
- Lactiferous ducts (the lobes of the mammary gland at the tip of the nipple) form well before the the testosterone is released that causes a fetus to be a male. Also, men have mammary tissue that can be stimulated to produce milk.
Wisdom Teeth
- If you’re reading this, you’ve probably had your wisdom teeth removed. I had all four of mine pulled when I was in high school. Despite what you think, these teeth weren’t totally useless. Since early humans had to chew a lot of plants (to intake the amount of calories needed to survive) the more teeth the better. Another theory regarding wisdom teeth is that they were replacement teeth that were lost from wear and tear.
- Erector Pili (ie. Goosebumps)
- These are bundles of smooth muscle fibers that allow animals to puff up their fur to intimidate others. They also served the function of insulation when we had more body hair. While we still retain this ability our lack of body hair makes them useless. Ever get startled and you get goosebumps? Ever see the same thing on other animals? Not as intimidating when you don’t have the hair or fur to puff up.
- Body Hair
- Most of your body hair serves no function (though some think otherwise). Eyebrows keep sweat from going into your eyes, and male facial hair may play a role in sexual selection. Armpit and pubic hair help deal with moisture but beyond that it does us no good. Your arm and leg hair are just the remains of a once fully covered body of hair.
- Thirteenth Rib
- While our closest cousins (chimps and gorillas) still retain this extra set of ribs, most humans have 12 ribs. Additionally, about 8% of humans are born with extra ribs.
- Male Uterus
- While not exactly a evolutionary left over, the remains of the undeveloped female reproductive organ from our prenatal state still remains. This organ hangs off of the male prostate gland but obviously serves no purpose.
- Female Vas Deferens
- These are a cluster of useless dead-end tubules near the ovaries. Yet another left over from our prenatal existence, these are thought to become sperm ducts in males but develop into the epoophoron in females.
Sources:
http://www.livescience.com/animals/top10_vestigial_organs.html
http://discovermagazine.com/2004/jun/useless-body-parts/
https://notes.utk.edu/Bio/greenberg.nsf/0/0765bb50d404455385256f0000680854
Good info…Thanks
Wow this article has gained a lot of viewers.. thanks everyone.
It got StumbleUpon’ed will probably keep getting lots of hits for a while.
http://www.stumbleupon.com/url/www.decimation.com/markw/2007/07/09/what-evolution-left-behind-on-humans
Yeah I saw that. No complaints from me.
I wonder if there’s ever been a corelation between personality and the attributes of being further evolved.
Check this out:
www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/magazines/TJ/TJv14n2_Vestigial.pdf - 2005-09-29
This is a creationist view of the vestigial structures. Not looking to create a urinary distance contest on beliefs here…just interested in seeing anyone’s take on this.
http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm
The debate will never die.
Interesting, although I thought we still ate cellulose in our diets (heavy fiber). Also, as a singer, I do believe I use those sinuses! Thanks for some great insights.
Well, I guess this site got dugg (cool!) and it made my host cry bloody murder.
Sorry for the downtime.
Great list, but I’ll have to disagree with the above two. Goosebumps still serve a sexual task of showing arousal (sure it seems pointless, but it’s still important). Additionally goosebumps in combination with our body hair keep us warmer. When we get goosebumps, it’s not our body telling us that we’re cold, it’s reacting to the cold. Goosebumps raise the fine hairs on our body to create a subtle pocket of air between the skin and the outside world. Sure, it works much better with more fur (hair), but it still works, even with the tiniest of hairs. It’s because oxygen is quite a good insulator, so your body uses the hair to trap it around you, warming it and holding onto it.
Personally, I think EVERY part of our body has a function, but we don’t know the purpose (yet). Evolution has taught us that only those bodyparts/senses/etc. will disappear when they’re no longer used (hair/muscle strength/etc.) The parts which are used more intensively are developed: brains/vision/elegant fingers for accurate motions… Some also say that nowadays we only use 5% of our brain capacity, if that’s so, why isn’t it decreased in size during evolution? It’s just a waste of space and blood…. I think we still know 5% of how our body works.
@Levi
I somewhat agree. You are explaining what goosebumps used to do when we were full of hair. But I for one have never been cold, and then got the goosebumps and said “wow, I’m feeling better now”
I believe as humans started wearing clothes to protect themselves from the elements, the need of body hair went away. So the main purpose of the goosebumps also became obsolete.
Re: Koochy
Yes evolution does get rid of things that are no longer of use ( read the blog again, paying attention to the “some they do and some they don’t” statements) but that takes place over time not in a generation or two.
As for Hair. one must differentiate between “hair” and “fur”… only mammals with hair (e.g humans and horses) sweat, those with fur (e.g. dogs and cats) do not. We probably lost our hair to facilitate body cooling, since hair holds moisture rather than letting it evaporate quickly, thus cooling the body (internally) in the process. For the same reason, we have retained hair in areas where holding the moisture is more beneficial than than allowing it to evaporate (e.g. head, groin).
Hair is not as efficient a means of keeping a body warm as fur (If you’ve ever given a furred animal a bath, you know how hard it is to get the skin wet). We most likely lost our hair before our exodus from Africa, and took to wearing clothes as we migrated north. It’s this ability to keep ourselves comfortable in extremes of climate that was a major player in allowing us to populate the entire planet in the relatively short time we have existed as a species.
Wow great article
I will write someone on www.deziovittori.com
I believe in God , Fully.. I believe in evolution.. Fully.. i dont think that if god does exist that God would create a living being that can not adapt. “evolve”
If God had made us so that we could not evolve we would have died out long ago. And God wouldn’t have been much of a God to leave us unable to survive due to lack of adaptation. I also think we came from single celled organisms. And and proteins before that and so on. Maybe god is STILL creating us. A billion years to a alien/supreme being that is not inside the dimension of time may as well be a few mins.. No- time = No billion years.. God may have just started yesterday in gods point of view. I repeat the term god instead of saying her or his because i believe a being that evolved has no gender” Long story short. Why in the crap would a superior being make a ready-made being. It’s already complete if its ready made. It doesnt learn.. grow.. adapt and become what it can become by its own nature and the choices it makes.. That’d just be a damn robot made of flesh if thats how God had done it.. Yea. Evolution exist.. I believe in God and evolution and there is “0%” conflict in my scientific beliefs and my religions. As a mater of fact. If either side of how i see things had a conflict , so would the other side. They are in perfect logical harmony. Unlike all the flammers & bashers “both Christians and Evolutionalist” that I see in this group.
Great article! That said, I have to disagree with you about male nipples and uterus. Those structures are a result of normal developmental processes (all mammalian fetus are by default “female”) and are found in all mammals. Since they also appear in ALL of our mammalian ancestors, I’m not so sure you can classify them as “left behind”. But again, great job in compiling all this information!
Kieran wrote:
Right, I added a few that were left over from our prenatal development.
here’s to life and the passing show and the eyes of the most beautiful girl you know oops sorry great stuff maybe this is what the zen master mean about total body control all this seemingly useless stuff really rocks at some level.
Blog of blinkered shortsightedness, that’s what this is!
Makes for some thinking about how we can still use all these bits? Maybe if we all started using them again and breeding accordingly we could bring them all back from extinction ?
“We only use 5% of our brain…” - Koochy
Well, yes, though some say 10%. What is meant by that figure is the active versus passive use of the brain. We only actively use 5 to 10% of our brains the rest is given over to the passive use i.e. regulating breathing, maintaining sleep patterns, creating our emotive responses, etc, etc. Their are parts of the brain that have been shown to be largly inactive and it is believed that, like vestigial organs, those parts of the brain may also be vestigial as an example the neanderthals had a brain mass 19% larger than our own. Scientists currently think this was due to their need to control their muscle/body mass better as they were so much bulkier than us.
Nice aritcle though and glad to see that people are taking more of an interest in this subject.
Here is some additional reading on the 5%/10% brain usage misconception:
I was very interested in the Darwin’s point item. I actually do have real little points there on my ears. More developed on one ear than the other but definitely points. Maybe I am part elf…
Nazreel wrote:
I’m the same way. My left year has the point, while my right ear doesn’t.
How could we run as fast without toes?
Chris wrote:
You’d learn, just how people learn how to run with a fake leg.
I’d appreciate this page much more if the author had taken the time to proof-read. There are spelling and grammar errors throughout and this takes away from the integrity of the piece.
Like another commentator I believe that the items relating to male nipples etc. should not really be part of this page titled What Evolution Left Behind on Humans.
I also take issue with the “unnecessary” toes. As a yoga teacher I can tell you that we very much need our toes. As Westerners, we wear shoes which do not allow the toes to do their job, however, in cultures where humans go barefoot much of the time (and there are many) the toes are still a vital part of getting around.
If I’ve spelled something wrong, or something isn’t structured correctly let me know. Another quick run through with 2 spell checkers though says otherwise. I don’t see anything in this post that would take away from it though.
But thanks for the criticism never the less.
I wrote it to be as simple as possible. If you want to know more about a specific part then you can go on your own and get the longer, more detailed explanation from any number of online sources or books.
In my opinion, evolution did “leave behind” the male nipples. They serve no function from what I can tell.
And to respond to your message about needing toes. Again, if you were to lose some of your toes you would be alright. It is very common for cultures who go barefoot to be missing toes, especially the “pinky” toe. Yet without that toe (or whatever other toe) they are still function.
Toes didn’t evolve so that you can do yoga. They aid you in yoga just because you have them.
People with 13 ribs usually have larger ribs at the bottom of their chest than those having 12 ribs. That is an small advantage over the ‘normal’ in Martial Arts, as of the additional protection to your inner organs.
Nice work! Appreciate it.
I do have to disagree with you about the toes. Sure, you can live without many of the toes. I stay barefoot quite a bit and I can tell you (as could a hundred million Indians) that toes are remarkably useful (say, compared to your little finger). They make you incredibly more sure-footed walking on pavement or sand or rock. If you try climbing a tree or a hill, you can be much faster and are lot less likely to slip and fall.
Hi, I believe in God, sometimes I think I am God…and you too! So maybe God did make toes so we can watch Ballerina’s dance. So we can twinkle our toes..you know ..important stuff. And with the Coccyx, sure it hurts when you slip and land on it, still better than landing on one’s spine.
Assuming we are all God, and everything is God… we can still only speculate as to why? The infinite debate!
Jeff
Melbourne
I find it funny that you delete my comment when I mention that you copy and pasted most of this from:
http://discovermagazine.com/2004/jun/useless-body-parts/
That website has been sited at the bottom of the post for sometime now. I used it as a reference, as I did the other sites. Also used Wikipedia, though I didn’t site that. Used it more for verification.
If you’re going to debate, then debate. But simply saying “it was proven long ago” on 1-2 items out of the 19 items proves nothing.
Thanks for your opinion though. Though I cannot find any references to backup your statement that the appendix is used for the immune system and that it was “proven long ago”
From “The Story of Evolution” by Joseph McCabe he says..
So, no, no one really knows what the appendix does. They only have theories. One of my theories is that it does nothing.
What about tonsils?
Interesting read, in any case, I agree with alot of it.
Then again, ‘Nothing in nature is useless’
From my understanding, tonsils are part of the immune system. They act as “catchers” in the mouth. They is why they can get really infected. Though like the appendix, they are routinely removed without any complications.
I still have mine, however they are pitted from years and years of infection.
Mark baby, never apologise or try to reason with grammar nazis’, they’ll always find some niggling little point to get you on and no doubt it will be contradicted by some other person. Fact is that what with English being spoken by 1/4 of the globe now (whether native or not, don’t hassle the issue - not Mark, anyone else reading this I mean) English grammar is undergoing a kind of pfffffff, not sure how to say it. An example would be a guy complaining on the BBC ‘have your say’ about people calling railway stations (BrE) train stations AmE) or other people saying that eventually SMS shorthand will become part of everyday English and accepted as such.
Uh oh… I’m ranting ooops
Amyway, on the toes issues, has anyone even loked at the disabled (or PC language ’special’) Olympics! Not one of the feet prosthetics uses toes. If they were soooooo important they would have been replicated as part of the prosthetic. A good line to take when considering whether or not an organ or body part is redundant or vestigal is whether doctors worry when it is removed or if it reduces your life expectancy.
Oh yeah, nearly forgot, people with 13 ribs are obviously descended from the poor buggers God ignored when he decided to make Woman. Maybe I should begin a reasearch project to determine if homosexuality is more prevalent in men with 13 ribs!
lol
Great post!
As regards wisdom teeth, I’ve also heard that in human ancestors with larger jaws they would have fit in perfectly. It’s only in our little puny modern jaws that they cause problems. And boy do they know how to do that! (all 4 teeth out last year, 2 dry sockets, more painkillers in 2 weeks than I’ve ever taken in my whole life put together).
Don’t forget 3rd, 4th, etc… nipples. I’ve got an extra set. As a guy, this is quadrupally redundant.
I have 3 yatsee board games. What does that mean?
Good article but I don’t believe that the male nipples are left overs from evolution.
I think that they may have a sexual purpose. Afterall, correct me if I am wrong but don’t male nipples get you sexually arroused when stimulated?
Technically any body part can have a sexual purpose depending on the person. Some people like it when you kiss the ear, but you wouldn’t say the ear evolved to serve the purpose of sexual stimulation.
People like all different things and I know plenty guys (including myself) who actually dislike it alot when anyone touches their nipple.
somethings like women having vas defenders and men once making milk is believed that we once were hermaphrodites
vas defenders… hahahahaha, good one Joe
Re:
Angela
Good article but I don’t believe that the male nipples are left overs from evolution. I think that they may have a sexual purpose. Afterall, correct me if I am wrong but don’t male nipples get you sexually arroused when stimulated?
As Mark says, any part of the body can cause sexual arousal, but to infer that this is the reason males still possess them is a falsehood. As the female still has remanants of male reproductive organs and the male of female too, so it can be inferred that these are redundant. Yes, male nipples do become erect when a man is sexually aroused or cold or excited (by a fairground ride) even in combat situations. That much is true of women too. Myself, as opposed to Mark, enjoy having my upper chest carressed/licked as a preamble towards woo hoo
Oh yeah, just occured to me, many women I have dated have asked me why men fixate on breasts. It is a difficult question for me to answer, now as a father and before as a non-father. The worst person I ever dated was a 3rd year psych student who claimed that my fascination with her (magnificent btw) breasts was due to the fact that I had recently given up smoking. Her loss not mine lol.
Bottom line is that the function of the nipple is to deliver milk to the young, men cannot perform this function only the females can. The genetic differentiation is minute and occurs late in feotal development, some doctors argue that it even occurs after birth. That fact has led to the arguement (unproven) about lactating hermaphrodits. I can attest as a father and Godfather that the vast majority of mothers do NOT start lactating until after birth, the birthing process triggers the production of milk. While I am not a doctor of medicine I can only believe the evidence of my own eyes.
Some anthropologists have argued that the fact the female carries the breasts high on the chest is a factor in arousing the male. Added to the fact that the only species that carry chest positioned breasts are those that engage in face-to-face sex encourages this hypothesis.
However, this is getting away from the nipple arguement.. men have them and they have no purpose, women do and they do have a purpose. End of story…. oh yeah, the vagina is just an inverted penis, sexy thought I know rofl
dude i got those pointy bits on me ear, i thought i was half elf, but now i know… dose it mean i have good hearing then?
Great article! Everytime I see the ‘evolution.jpg’ image I think of The Wayback’s cover of ‘I Wan’na Be Like You’
Brilliant Article and information, I always knew what the coccyx and appendix was for but I always wondered what the male nipples where from… a bit creepy now but still thanks for info!
Found this on I-Am-Bored. Some great info, I’m gonna save this!! Thanks!
I can’t believe someone actually admitted this. I’m not religious, nor am I not…NOT religious, I can’t really say what I am because I’m not as informed as I should be on any religion (though I’m learning about all of them, or trying to).
I’ve almost been lynched when I suggested a union between creation and evolution, so bravo to you, Blue.
Great article! You really got me to start researching a lot more than normal. I also read the arguments for creation, no matter what happens, I believe whats important is that we question everything!
How else will we learn?
Sorry, completely off tangent…
The nipple thing is a big argument. I always figured that men and women were essentially the same, structurally. Like…we are the same outside, mostly inside. I mean, men lactate too. You know how seahorse males pretty much have the babies? I considered the possibility that men have the ability to breast feed children if the woman can’t or won’t. Sounds kinda funny, especially with all these smart people on this board. Just a theory.
Evolution wise, people tend to gain and lose equally. It appears that with the loss of senses, we gain mental capacity. Sorry for the blunt example, but its almost like we are becoming giant floating brains. Our ability to think and more importantly reason is are biggest advantage. If you consider humans and compare us to ANY other animal, we are WEIRD in the sense of nature.
And now we are killing ourselves with pollution and war. So my biggest question for the future is “How will adaption and evolution pull us through this mess?”
Just had a look at wikipedia re: palmaris muscle. They say that the muscle is only ABSENT in abt 16% of the caucasian population and less in other races… maybe you’d want to revise your info. But i’d be interested to see where you found the info for that.
Great fun -
One theory I heard about the hairs under the arm is that they help reduce friction on the skin when the arm is moved.
@ Kootchy
It is a common misconception that we use only 5-10% of our brain. We use 100% of our Brain, we only use 5-10% of it at any given time but each part of the brain has a function and does get put to use.
Lou wrote:
Instead of saying 16% of the Caucasian population, and less in others, I just took that 16% and averaged it to get a number for all humans.
Yeah, try removing all those things and see what happens- I dare ya.
If evolution actually created the world, i’d probably have no problem with this, but even Darwin Himself disproved his own theories. Oh yeah, and that’s another things they were just THEORIES, not facts.
Everything that God created has a purpose, we’re just too stupid to know what a lot of those purposes are.
Chris - Armpit hairs, I think that without them there would be LESS friction, smoother surface and all that. Secondly, the hairs do have an important yet ancient function and that was to allow the enhanced evaporation of human hormones excreted though the clusters of lymph nodes and swesat glands found under our ams and clustered in the pubic area. Body odour created by a naturally clean man or woman has been proven to be sexually arousing. I am NOT referring to the smells created by stagnant sweat, that’s knida disgusting.
Believer - Dear me, where to begin? Ok, it was very kind og you to capitalise the pronoun “..Darwin Himself..” and yes, Darwin is held up to some as a kind of God of science. That aside, saying evolution created the World is nuts. Evolution is the process of change in organisms by natural selection. It is a theory, the idea that the Earth goes round the Sun is also a theory. You see thing thing with theories is that you think of an explanation for something and then look for evidence to support it. I think you will agree that the Earth goes round the Sun, we have so much information that supports the idea that to think otherwise would mark you as, huh, kinda waaaaay out there! The same goes for evolution there is so much evidence to support it that it is almost inconceivable that there could be another explanation. Yes, Darwin did say “the eye gives me nightmares to this day, I cannot explain it”… well, he couldn’t but others have and have found the fossil evidence to prove it and also found living animals to support that theory today.
I’m sorry, but God did not create man or anything that procreats on this Earth, Nature did and God had no hand in that.
For information on the creation of the Earth I suggest you Google Astronomy now (the magazine) or any reputable astronomy sites. I believe Patrick Moore (the renowned British astronomer) has a kinda FAQ for this kind of thing on his website.
Thanks for reading
Believer wrote:
You can remove those things, and nothing happens. If you actually read some of the descriptions you’d know that. People have the appendix removed, the coccyx removed, and those muscles are used for reconstructive surgery.
Evolution is a theory that is accepted by most, if not all real scientists. If you want to believe that evolution isn’t real, by all means then explain the modern dog species. That is evolution. If you don’t believe in evolution, you don’t believe that all the variety of dog species exist.
But again, there are still a large number of American’s who believe the Sun rotates around the Earth, but that is another topic.
oh yeah, forgot to mention. I’m almost certain that someone somewhere has had all these things removed or never had them to begin with… might be interesting to check that out. Anyhoo, I’m sure that people are living today with far worse physical conditions than would be the reslt of a lack of all the items mentioned above.
co-joined twins, peeps with artificial hearts, people on dialysis, people with AIDS, etc, etc…
“There but for the grace of God go I…”
My favourite is the tail one.
I wish I had a tail… 
Once I bruised my coccyx bone.
Evolution is false
Mal wrote:
That’s it Mal? No arguments or anything? Just a statement?
Have you even read the page? Ever learnt anything about evolution? Or did you just see the word “evolution” and think to yourself ..”Oh no! Evolution is bad and nasty! I must go and give these poor people my thoughts at once!” Do you have any more thoughts to give?
Darwin may not have understood the workings of the eye, and some of his hypothesises may have been proven false, but the whole point about science is that it evolves.
Theories are adjusted as new information is found, and if information is found that destroys a theory ( not that this has happened for the theory of evolution ) then it’s a breakthrough. Whereas religion ignores any contradictory evidence and just keeps going the same as it always has, leaving people confused as to who to believe.
Nowadays we DO understand how the eye evolved and Darwin’s theories are not disproved, they are improved.
Evolution.. wonder how it’ll change man a couple of thousand years from now.. providing the globe doesn’t cook itself with global warming.
for most of these a current use is given, meaning they aren’t all useless. also, the removal of the appendix wouldn’t necessarily have ill side effects since the body has many other elements to the immune system
zach wrote:
Compelling argument.
Just because something is currently in use, doesn’t disqualify it from being considered useless.
“Just because something is currently in use, doesn’t disqualify it from being considered useless”
so you’re saying that a thing in use can be considered useless!?
Michael wrote:
I’m saying just because you use something, that doesn’t mean that it cannot be considered useless.
Michael - “Armpit hairs, I think that without them there would be LESS friction, smoother surface and all that.”
I think the point was that the hairs roll over one another, a little like wearing two pairs of socks so that a boot doesn’t cause blisters because the socks rub against one another. Anyone that has suffered from chafing of the thighs (one’s own!)knows that rubbing the skin can be painful if repeated.
I’ve also heard the theory about the pheromes using the hairs to aid evaporation - seems perfectly reaonable - another theory I heard was that we find members of the opposite sex attractive if they have different resistances to certain disease than we do in order that when mated a greater amount of resistance may be created and this too relies on our sense of smell!
boo…
This is all strictly a matter of opinion. What would your head feel like without a sinus cavity. Some of these things listed should not be on such a silly list.
Jeffro: Yeah, but he did say the advantages of the sinus cavity as well.
That’s what we call a well rounded argument, acknowledging the right and wrong of your own arguments…”The presence of our sinus cavities however, our heads actually weigh less.The sinus cavity also adds warmth and moisture to the air we breathe.”
I think some of the people who read this need to stop bashing. Your going on a blog that obviously has evolutionists and others of this sort. How’d you like it if one of us went onto your forums and blogs and completely bashed your monotheistic views? (which would also be wrong).
I got exciting thinking that there might be some genes in our body that are turned off related to increased smelling and hearing. Maybe at some point, when our ability to play with genes is improved we could turn those back on. Then I got to thinking about it…I’m not so sure I would want a heightened sense of smell and hearing. It could be something really horrible or really wonderful, who knows. Sense smell is an important part of taste, it might open up a wonderful world of new tastes. But seeing as the world mostly stinks as is (people who don’t wear deodorant, smokers, car exhaust, the nasty chicken restaurant down the street) I’m now leaning towards the position that more smell would not improve the quality of my life. Having superhuman hearing sounding awesome for about 10 seconds until I realized how loud the world is. It would be like wearing a stethoscope constantly. I don’t understand how dogs handle all the noise humans make. Can they close their ears somehow?
I am also interested in mammary glands in the excess of two. I’ve heard of people having three nipples and I’m guessing that some people have been born with more. Does anyone know genes are left over from some ancestor that had litters and had to nurse like a dog? Or are these just freak genes that have no root to evolution?
Blue
Jul 15th, 2007 at 2:45 pm Quote
I believe in God , Fully.. I believe in evolution.. Fully.. i dont think that if god does exist that God would create a living being that can not adapt. “evolve”
If God had made us so that we could not evolve we would have died out long ago. And God wouldn’t have been much of a God to leave us unable to survive due to lack of adaptation. I also think we came from single celled organisms. And and proteins before that and so on. Maybe god is STILL creating us. A billion years to a alien/supreme being that is not inside the dimension of time may as well be a few mins.. No- time = No billion years.. God may have just started yesterday in gods point of view. I repeat the term god instead of saying her or his because i believe a being that evolved has no gender” Long story short. Why in the crap would a superior being make a ready-made being. It’s already complete if its ready made. It doesnt learn.. grow.. adapt and become what it can become by its own nature and the choices it makes.. That’d just be a damn robot made of flesh if thats how God had done it.. Yea. Evolution exist.. I believe in God and evolution and there is “0%” conflict in my scientific beliefs and my religions. As a mater of fact. If either side of how i see things had a conflict , so would the other side. They are in perfect logical harmony. Unlike all the flammers & bashers “both Christians and Evolutionalist” that I see in this group.
Blu I am so happy to hear you say this. I also believe that the theory of evolution and creationism can co-exist. I was raised to believe in the ultimate power of God and to believe in God as our creator and I still do. But the more I have learned and broadened my mind the more it just sounds stupid to hear people say there is no such thing as evolution. It is an absolute fact that living creatures evolve in order to adapt to their surroundings. The bible is wonderful book that offers spiritual guidance and allows people to know God, but it is not a book of science. Science is a wonderful source of knowledge but it is not spiritual. So I wonder why on earth people have to choose between one or the other. When people get sick they go to a doctor and they believe in the doctor, when they get a toothache they go to a dentist and they believe in the dentist, when they become spiritually ill they visit a clergy person and they believe in the clergy. Niether the clergy person or the doctor is going to get pissed because a person saw a dentist, as they are all working in entirely different fields.
HOW COOL!!! i have one of the pointy things on my ear… -.- i thought every1 had…
Pope: Creation vs. evolution clash an ‘absurdity’
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19956961/
Interesting article..
Arm and leg hair is to protect us from mosquito’s
uuaschbaer wrote:
Oh yeah?
Andrea wrote:
You are a yoga teacher, there fore you can tell us we need our toes? For some reason I find THAT hard to believe.
Shad app! Whiners!
i think that overtime as we use or don’t use different organs they adapt to how they are being used. say if i didn’t have my left arm i would adapt to life without it, and toes do help you balance but if you lost them i think you would also adapt and learn to use a different body part to help you balance.
Hey Great site, I really enjoyed reading it. Having studied human anatomy at degree level I could argue a few points, but that would be very picky, (and boring)!
I think what you’ve done on the site is excellent, and I hope it opens a few peoples eyes to just how interesting this stuff is!
The only thing I have to say is that humans actually have more body hair coverage than even chimpanzees. We just have thinner, less coarse hair.
While I agree that most of the body parts mentioned are efectively redundant in adults, it must be noted that many of them serve a vital importance especially in early childhood, basicaly before the body is completely developed, which i usually isnt until the mid-teens. For example, the tonsils and appendix are fine to be removed in adults, even in children as young as about 7 but if these were to be taken from a toddler or infant, there will quite likely be immunological consequences later on.
One of the spectacular things about the human body is it inbuilt emergency back up system. Many things may seem redundant but if something damages the body (disease, injury, etc) that destroys the function of a body part which was the primary source of that function, there are other body parts which may accomadate for this loss. Some may call this redundant, for those in the situation where they have lost a pimary source of function, they would literaly call this a life saver.
In addtion, I personally dont think it is fair to include remnents from development in to the “evolutionally redundant” category. Such structures are somewhat essential in some part of development and if they were not to be there to play that part, one would not survive or properly develop into adulthood.
All, in all though, I would have to say this was a pretty interesting article to read and while I could sit here all day discussing and debating nearly every statement made, I eel that would take half the fun out of the article…
NIce work
Rachel discredits herself with very bad spelling.
I don’t think it’s Rachaels spelling that is a problem, I think it’s you. You’re a grammar nazi.
Maybe she was just typing fast? or was tired?
Have some grace plz Jeffro
You probably didn’t mean for this article to be proof that we evolved from lower lifeforms, but the topic does hint at such an arguement. Like a lot of things, “extra” body parts—or even commonly used ones—can be viewed in multiple ways. Some might look at the left hand, and say “Look what we evolved so we could pick stuff up!” while others might say “Check out this nifty set of levers, cables and sensors that God made so I could throw a frisbee!” I could live without and arm, (or both) but it wouldn’t be as much fun, and it seems there are plenty of body parts that aren’t just for practicality. Sure, eyebrows might help catch sweat or dirt, but they also make humans looks better. And I have fun with the toes God gave me, picking stuff up, or digging into the dirt. It’s all in how you look at things.
Tobias wrote:
Well it’s easy to say something like when you use examples of body parts we need. Just because you use a part that I have listed here for some function, doesn’t mean that it was intended for that function.
The functions of you lips, for example, weren’t designed to give you the ability to whistle. That is just something you can do with that.
Eyebrows do make humans look better, but if we evolved without eyebrows, you wouldn’t be saying that. They weren’t designed to “make us look better.” Lots of animals have some form of an eye brow, and its function is to provide protection to the eye.
“Most of your body hair serves no function (though some think otherwise).”
The hair serves as sensory input, for example: touch a single hair on your arm or leg and see how sensitive it is to stimulus. You can sense electro static changes, insects crawling on the skin etc.
Evolution is merely the result of centuries of natural selection. It is still occurring today although it is too slow to perceive. Desirable traits have always been replicated through heredity. Slowly the hunter-gatherer traits are being replaced by the ability to scam or to acquire illegal drugs.
so if this is true then n i ges a few more centuries some of this stuff should be completely gone right?