Organs and parts of your body that we no longer need (and what they were for)

2023-06-06 14:11:43

The human body is like a complex mechanism, in which almost all the parts fulfill a specific function. And we say almost because, despite this, we have a series of elements that over the millennia and evolution they have lost their functionremaining only as a vestige of our past biology.

We call these organs and parts of the body, therefore, vestigial; in fact, some people even lack some of them already. These are the most common, as revealed by the British media BBC:

1. Appendix

At present, there is no known function for the appendix, a small termination of our large intestine. In fact, it is common to remove it when an infection or other problem occurs in it.

However, based on the scientific evidence available to us, it appears that in the past the appendix helped our ancestors to digest excess cellulose which was common in their diets.

2. palmar longus

In most people (up to 90%), when you extend the arm with the palm of the hand facing up and join the thumb with the fingers, a long, thin bulge appears on the forearm, next to the tendon. Its about palmar longa tendon that once gave us the strength to climb trees.

3. Wisdom teeth

The discomfort that wisdom teeth produce when coming out is well known; Nonetheless, we currently do not use them (and in fact, a certain percentage of people lack them), since their function was to grind the raw cereals and raw meats that were frequent in the diet of our ancestors.

4. Erector pili muscles

Is about very small muscles connected to our body hair, a characteristic that we actually share with many mammals, and that serve to bristle it. With the loss of body hair, bristling no longer fulfills its original functions (appearing larger or creating an insulating layer of air around the body.

5. Embryonic tail

The truth is that this organ disappears in most people even before birth: as its name suggests, it is a small tail that the embryo develops and that later becomes the coccyx. As we see in other mammals, its main function is to help with balance in certain forms of locomotion, and it is believed that it disappeared in humans because it is not necessary when walking upright.

6. Ear muscles

A few people retain control of these muscles that allow wiggle earsAlthough this is not the case for most people. Originally, this function allowed directing hearing towards potential prey or predators.

7. Piriformis muscle

There are those who have two, those who have one and those who have none. currently can allow to move the linea alba (the one that goes from the navel to the genitals), but in its day it is possible that it helped with locomotion on all fours.

8. Male nipples

This case is a bit particular, since it is not an evolutionary vestige but the sexual differentiation in the embryonic stage of human gestation. The reason that males retain this trait, which in females allows babies to be suckled, is that the formation of the genital organs occurs after the appearance of the nipples.

9. Third eyelid

In the inner corner of the eye there is a small membrane that is a memory of the third eyelid that certain animals such as birds or reptiles still have all their functions. Its function is to help keep the eyes moist and free of debris.

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References

BBC Mundo. 9 parts of the body that we no longer need at all (and what they were used for before). Consulted online at on June 6, 2023.