According to the theory of evolution, humans descended from monkeys. For millions of years, due to this process, the appearance, character, and mental capabilities of Homo Sapiens changed, distancing it from its ancestors. The era of technological progress has brought the human species to the highest level of evolutionary development. The presence of common ancestors with the animal world is now presented in the form of rudiments, examples of which will be discussed in this material.
Vestigial organs- certain parts of the body that have lost their original meaning during evolutionary development. Previously performing the leading functions of the body, now they carry out secondary ones. They are laid at the initial stage of embryonic formation, without fully developing. The rudiments are preserved throughout the life of the individual. The function that they carried during standard development is significantly weakened and lost in their ancestors. The modern world cannot fully explain the essence of the presence of such underdeveloped organs in the physiological structure.
Vestigial organs are the primary evidence of evolution for Charles Darwin, who spent many years observing the animal kingdom before coming to his revolutionary conclusion.
Such body parts directly confirm family ties between extinct and modern representatives of the planet, helping to establish the path of historical development of organisms. Natural selection, which serves as the basis, removes unnecessary traits while improving others.
Examples of rudiments among the animal world:
TO vestiges of man include the following:
Important! Examples of rudiments are common among different people. A few tribes and races have such organs, characteristic only of their species. Each example of rudiments in humans can be identified and described in detail to bring clarity to the topic under discussion.
Coccyx represents the lower part of the spine, including several fused vertebrae. The function of the anterior part of the organ is to attach ligaments and muscles.
Thanks to it, a correct, uniform load on the pelvis occurs. The coccyx is an example of a rudimentary tail in modern humans, which served as a center of balance.
Wisdom teeth - these are the most delayed and obstinate bone formations of the oral cavity. The original function was to assist in the process of chewing hard, tough food.
Modern human meals include more thermally processed foods, so during evolution the organ has atrophied. Located last in the row, wisdom teeth often come out in people of a conscious age. A common phenomenon is the absence of “eights” and partial eruption.
Morganian ventricle- paired sac-like depressions located in the right and left parts of the larynx. The organs help create a resonant voice. Apparently, they helped the ancestors reproduce certain sounds and protect the larynx.
Appendix- vermiform appendage of the cecum. It helped distant ancestors digest rough food. Currently, its functions have diminished, but the important role of concentrating the formation of beneficial microorganisms has remained. The presence of this organ in humans has a significant negative quality - the possibility of inflammation. In this case, it needs to be removed surgically. The microflora after surgery is difficult to restore, and infectious diseases become more frequent.
Ear muscles also belong to the rudimentary features surrounding the human auricle. Ancient ancestors had the ability to move their ears, enhancing the hearing needed to avoid encounters with predators.
Attention! It is strongly not recommended to deliberately get rid of some of the listed organs, because they still perform secondary functions.
Epicanthus - vestigial vertical continuation the upper fold of the eye. The exact causes and functional features of this organ are not thoroughly known. There are suggestions that the skin fold protected the eyes from weather conditions. Characteristic of the Bushmen.
The pyramidalis abdominis muscle continues the list of vestigial organs, representing the triangular shape of muscle tissue. The main function is to tighten the linea alba.
Steatopygia - fat accumulation in the upper parts of the buttocks. Has a storage role, like a camel's hump. Characteristic of some African tribes, although this rudiment or pathology is not fully understood.
There are peculiar external signs of the kinship of the human species with the animal world. Atavism is a sign present among the ancestors, but not inherent in the current species.
Those who encode it are preserved, continuing to pass on its properties to the next generation. They can be called “sleeping”; they awaken only at the birth of individuals with an atavistic trait. This happens when genetic control is lost, or due to external stimulation.
The main difference between atavism serves as the manifestation of traits in individual individuals. During embryonic development, a human individual partially follows the path of distant ancestors. At certain weeks, the embryos have gills and tail-like processes. If these signs persist during childbirth, they represent atavism.
Atavisms and rudiments alike serve as evidence theories of evolution, but if the first signs have no functions, then the second have a certain useful meaning. Some types of this phenomenon can pose a threat to health or disrupt some vital processes. Some people still speculate on the topic: is the appendix a norm in the form of a vestigial organ or an atavism.
Attention! Many atavistic signs are easily removed surgically, making life easier for the wearer.
Many people still confuse atavisms and rudiments, attributing one to the other. The first ones have two types of signs:
Examples of human atavism should be thoroughly studied so that the difference becomes clearer.
If people do not exhibit external signs of one thing or another, this does not mean that the genes for the signs are absent, but have the ability to manifest themselves in the future.
Atavisms are extremely rare in the population and appear only in cases where ancient ancestral genes unexpectedly appear in humans.
Here are the most common and obvious types of human atavism, making up the following list:
The listed features clarify the debate among many about whether wisdom teeth, hidden or erupted, are a rudiment or an atavism. They are characteristic of many species, but not all occur. If wisdom teeth or other rudimentary parts of the body were found only in single specimens, then it would be possible classify them as atavism.
We study what rudiments are, examples
12 rudiments in humans
Homo Sapiens is a complex organism with a diverse system of life activity, changing millions of years of evolution. Everyone has examples of their types. The main difference between atavism and rudimentary body parts is that only a few possess them, and a person can easily live without them.
Every child sooner or later asks his parents the question: “How was I born?” It would seem that everything is extremely simple: conception, pregnancy, childbirth. But scientists have been trying for thousands of years to understand where the very first people came from. There are quite a lot of opinions on this matter, but each of us is familiar with the famous theory of evolution of Charles Darwin, the main idea of which is that man descended from apes. Today the site proves this theory by talking about the main “evidence” of evolution - rudiments in the human body. What are rudiments and why do we need them - read in this article.
Rudiments are the most understandable, simple and obvious evidence of human evolution.
Rudiments or vestigial organs are structures of the human body that have lost their significance in the process of evolution. Such organs were necessary for people earlier in order to protect the body, help it adapt to environmental conditions, survive and produce offspring. But people became smarter, made their living conditions more comfortable, and the need for rudimentary organs gradually disappeared. At the moment, such organs do not perform their function, but are still present in our body.
Rudiments clearly demonstrate the difference between man and his ancestors. You probably haven’t even thought about why your body has these organs:
In the body of each of us there is a muscle that was necessary for our direct ancestors - primates. It is easy to detect: turn your hand palm up and close your thumb and little finger. A ligament that belongs to the palmaris longus muscle is immediately contoured on the skin of the wrist.
Our ancestors needed it, since it was this muscle that was responsible for releasing the claws and allowing them to firmly grasp tree branches when jumping. Today, the palmaris longus muscle is involved in flexing the palm, but this rudiment does not perform its direct function.
When we are cold or scared, goose bumps appear on our body. You will be surprised to know that there are hundreds of thousands of tiny muscles in your body that are responsible for raising hair. This reaction of the body was necessary for our ancestors, who had thick hair on their bodies - another rudiment.
Contraction of muscles and raising of hairs allowed the body to retain heat, and in times of danger, the raised hair gave the animal a more terrifying appearance. Today, goose bumps are just another vestige.
Look in the mirror: there is a small fold of skin in the corner of your eyes. Have you ever wondered why you need it? This fold is another rudiment, a relic of the nictitating membrane.
Our ancestors needed it to moisturize and protect the surface of the eyeball. Today, the semilunar fold is preserved in birds, fish and reptiles - inhabitants of water and sky. Modern living conditions have allowed a person to get by with only two centuries, but the semilunar fold in our body has long lost its function.
But this unpleasant rudiment is familiar to many people who have reached adulthood. The unpleasant process of growth of “eights,” as we used to call these teeth in everyday life, causes significant discomfort to a person.
Removing wisdom teeth does not disrupt the chewing process at all, because these teeth were needed only by our ancestors, who were forced to chew tough and solid foods, such as raw meat. In the modern world, we consume almost all products only after heat treatment, so there is no longer a need for wisdom teeth.
Another useless muscle in the human body is the ear. Some people have retained the ability to move their ears, and can amuse others with this spectacle. But today, this is the only function the ear muscles can perform, because our ancestors used them to better hear approaching danger or prey.
In the modern world, ear muscles are just a rudiment, and “the talent of the chosen merry fellows” is nothing more.
Rudiments in the human body prove the theory of evolution, because besides them, even the smallest structures of the body play an important role for its correct and harmonious work.
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Our body is a complex system that consists of various organs that perform one or another function. Meanwhile, each of us also has a number of organs or their remains, as well as atavisms (signs that make us similar to the animal world), which in the life of the body have lost all or part of their functions. What organs are superfluous in the human body?
Such organs can cause a number of troubles or, on the contrary, make us unique. Let's consider what Mother Nature forgot to remove from our body during the process of evolution, that is, unnecessary organs.
1. Coccyx.
This is the lower part of the spine, which consists of three or five fused vertebrae. It is nothing more than our vestigial tail. Despite its vestigial nature, the coccyx is a fairly important organ (like other rudiments, which, although they have lost most of their functionality, still remain very useful for our body), but it is also a problem when struck.
2. Appendix.
Familiar to many. Once upon a time it participated in hematopoiesis, producing leukocytes - white blood cells. Now it does not have this function, but it is a source of infection. It may even come down to surgery.
3. Wisdom teeth.
Who hasn't encountered wisdom teeth? We are not becoming wiser, but there may be unpleasant sensations as they grow. Wisdom teeth are considered rudiments: at one time they were necessary for our ancestors, but after the diet of Homo sapiens changed significantly (the consumption of solid and tough foods decreased, people began to eat heat-treated food), and the volume of the brain increased (as a result of which nature “had to” reduce the jaws of Homo sapiens) - wisdom teeth resolutely “refuse” to fit into our dentition.
4. Body hair.
Without a doubt, once upon a time, about 3 million years ago, we were completely covered with them. But with the advent of erectus, they became of no use to us.
5. The effect of piloerection or “goose bumps”.
When reacting to cold, raised hairs help ensure that the layer of air heated by the body is retained at the surface of the skin. When reacting to danger, raised hair makes the animals look more massive and gives them a frightening appearance.
6. Tonsils or tonsils.
They catch bacteria, but they are also prone to swelling and are not resistant to infection. Children often experience this themselves. Fortunately, our tonsils decrease in size with age, and if they cause any problems, they are removed.
7. Ear muscles.
They are the muscles of the head surrounding the auricle. The ear muscles (or rather, what is left of them) are a classic example of vestigial organs. This is understandable, because people who can move their ears are quite rare - much less common than people who do not have a tailbone, appendix, etc. rudiments. The functions that the ear muscles performed in our ancestors are quite clear: of course, they helped move the ears in order to better hear an approaching predator, rival, relatives or prey.
8. Epicanthus.
This rudiment is characteristic only of the Mongoloid race (or, for example, of the African Bushmen - the most ancient people on the planet, the descendants of which, in fact, we are all) and is a skin fold of the upper eyelid, which we see with an eastern section of the eyes. By the way, it is thanks to this fold that the effect of “narrow” Mongoloid eyes is created.
9. Nipples in men.
Men have nipples and something similar to a woman's uterus. In turn, in women, next to the ovaries there are male vas deferens, which tend to become inflamed.
The wings of a flightless bird and the eyes of a deep-sea fish are all manifestations of an evolutionary quirk called “vestigation.” The existence of such excesses in the body is not justified by anything, but is steadily transmitted from generation to generation. We will talk about the most famous human rudiments and how they arose.
Coccyx
The most famous rudiment inherited from ancient ancestors is the coccyx (coccyx), a triangular bone formed by the fusion of 4-5 vertebrae. It once formed the tail, an organ for maintaining balance that also serves to transmit social signals. As man became an upright creature, all these functions were transferred to the forelimbs, and the need for a tail disappeared.
However, in the early stages of development, the human embryo has a tail process, which is often retained. About one in fifty thousand babies are born with a tail, which can be easily removed without harm to the body.
Appendix
The vermiform appendix of the cecum (appendix vermiformis) has long ceased to play any role in the human body. Presumably, it served for long-term digestion of solid foods - for example, cereals. The second theory is that the appendix acted as a reservoir for digestive bacteria, where they multiplied.
The adult appendix ranges from 2 to 20 centimeters in length, but in most cases its length is approximately ten centimeters. Inflammation of the appendix (appendicitis) is a very common disease, accounting for 89 percent of all abdominal surgeries.
Wisdom tooth
Third molars (molars) got their name because they erupt much later than all other teeth, at the age when a person becomes “wiser” - 16-30 years. The main function of wisdom teeth is chewing; they serve to grind food.
However, in every third person on Earth they grow incorrectly - they do not have enough space on the jaw arch, as a result of which they either begin to grow to the sides or injure their neighbors. In such cases, wisdom teeth have to be removed.
Vitamin C synthesis
A lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the body can lead to scurvy, which can lead to death. However, humans cannot independently synthesize this vitamin in their bodies, unlike most primates and other mammals.
Scientists have long assumed that humans had an organ responsible for the production of ascorbic acid, but confirmation of this was discovered only in 1994. Then a pseudogene was found responsible for the production of vitamin C, similar to that found in Guinea pigs. But in modern humans this function is disabled at the genetic level.
Vomeronasal organ (VNO)
Pheromones play a dominant role in the social behavior of animals. With their help, females attract males, and the gentlemen themselves mark the territory under their control. Most emotions are accompanied by the release of pheromones - fear, anger, peace, passion. A person relies more on the verbal and visual components of social communication, so the role of pheromone recognition is minimized.
Goosebumps
Goosebumps (cutis anserina) occur when the pilomotor reflex is triggered. The main motivators of this reflex are cold and danger. In this case, the spinal cord excites peripheral nerve endings, which raise the hair.
So in case of cold, raised hair allows you to retain more thermal air inside the cover. If danger arises, the increase in hair gives the animal a more massive appearance. In humans, the pilomotor reflex remains a vestige, since thick hair was lost during evolution
Male nipples
One early scientific theory suggested that nipples were a sign of a man's ability to breastfeed, which was lost during evolution. However, later studies showed that none of the males of our ancestors had such a body function.
Currently, it is generally accepted that nipples are formed at that stage of embryo development when its sex is not determined. And only later, when the embryo begins to independently produce hormones, can it be determined who will be born - a boy or a girl.
Vitruvian Man, Leonadro da Vinci
The presence of vestigial organs, as is known, is one of the proofs of Darwin's theory of evolution. What kind of organs are these?
Organs that have lost their importance during evolutionary development are called vestigial. They are formed in the prenatal state and remain for life, in contrast to the so-called provisional (temporary) organs, which only embryos have. Rudiments differ from atavisms in that the former are extremely rare (continuous hair in humans, additional pairs of mammary glands, development of a tail, etc.), while the latter are present in almost all representatives of the species. Let's talk about them - rudimentary human organs.
In general, the question of what is the role of rudiments in the life of a particular organism and what, in fact, should be considered as such, still remains quite difficult for physiologists. One thing is clear: vestigial organs help trace the path of phylogenesis. Rudiments show the presence of kinship between modern and extinct organisms. And these organs, among other things, are proof of the action of natural selection, which removes an unnecessary trait. What human organs can be considered rudiments?
Human coccyx diagram
This is the lower part of the spine, which consists of three or five fused vertebrae. It is nothing more than our vestigial tail. Despite its rudimentary nature, the coccyx is a fairly important organ (like other rudiments, which, although they have lost most of their functionality, still remain very useful for our body).
The anterior sections of the coccyx are necessary for the attachment of muscles and ligaments that are involved in the functioning of the organs of the genitourinary system and the distal sections of the large intestine (the coccygeus, iliococcygeus and pubococcygeus muscles, which form the levator ani muscle, as well as the anopococcygeus, are attached to them ligament). In addition, part of the muscle bundles of the gluteus maximus muscle, which is responsible for hip extension, is attached to the coccyx. We also need the tailbone in order to correctly distribute the physical load on the pelvis.
X-ray of wisdom teeth growing incorrectly
These are the eighth teeth in the dentition, commonly referred to as the number eight. As you know, “eights” got their name due to the fact that they erupt much later than other teeth - on average at the age of 18 to 25 years (in some people they do not erupt at all). Wisdom teeth are considered rudiments: at one time they were necessary for our ancestors, but after the diet of Homo sapiens changed significantly (the consumption of solid and tough foods decreased, people began to eat heat-treated food), and the volume of the brain increased (as a result of which nature “had to” reduce the jaws of Homo sapiens) - wisdom teeth resolutely “refuse” to fit into our dentition.
These “bullies” among the teeth every now and then strive to grow at random, which is why they greatly interfere with other teeth and general oral hygiene: due to the incorrect placement of the “eights” between them and neighboring teeth, food gets stuck every now and then. And it’s not so easy for a toothbrush to reach wisdom teeth, so they are often affected by caries, which leads to the removal of the diseased tooth. However, if wisdom teeth are positioned correctly, they can, for example, serve as support for bridges.
Removed appendix
On average, the length of the appendage of the cecum in humans is about 10 cm, the width is only 1 cm. Nevertheless, it can cause us a lot of trouble, and in the Middle Ages, “intestinal disease” was a death sentence. The appendix helped our ancestors digest roughage and, of course, played a very important role in the functioning of the entire body. But even today this organ is not at all so useless. True, it has not performed a serious digestive function for a long time, but it performs protective, secretory and hormonal functions.
Diagram of the muscles of the human head, the ear muscles are visible above the auricles
They are the muscles of the head surrounding the auricle. The ear muscles (or rather, what is left of them) are a classic example of vestigial organs. This is understandable, because people who can move their ears are quite rare - much less common than people who do not have a tailbone, appendix, etc. rudiments. The functions that the ear muscles performed in our ancestors are quite clear: of course, they helped move the ears in order to better hear an approaching predator, rival, relatives or prey.
Human body muscle diagram
It belongs to the anterior muscle group of the abdominal area, but in comparison with the rectus muscle it is very small in size, and in appearance it resembles a small triangle of muscle tissue. The pyramidalis abdominis muscle is a vestige. It is significant only in marsupials. Many people do not have it at all. For those who are the lucky owners of this muscle, it stretches the so-called linea alba.
Epicanthus - skin fold of the upper eyelid
This rudiment is characteristic only of the Mongoloid race (or, for example, of the African Bushmen - the most ancient people on the planet, the descendants of which, in fact, we are all) and is a skin fold of the upper eyelid, which we see with an eastern section of the eyes. By the way, it is thanks to this fold that the effect of “narrow” Mongoloid eyes is created.
The causes of epicanthus are not exactly known. But most researchers are inclined to believe that the skin fold on the upper eyelid arose as a result of the natural living conditions of a person - for example, in severe cold conditions or, on the contrary, deserts and hot sun, when epicanthus is designed to protect the eyes.
Diagram of the human larynx, number 5 indicates the Morganian ventricles of the larynx
This organ is a sac-like depression located between the true and false vocal folds on the right and left sides of the larynx. They are important for creating the so-called common resonator chamber, that is, a resonant voice. Apparently, our ancestors needed the Morgani ventricles in order to create a series of certain sounds and protect the larynx.
Some other organs can also be classified as rudimentary organs; in addition, representatives of certain races may have their own rudiments that are not characteristic of other races. For example, steatopygia among the aforementioned Bushmen and related Hottentots is the deposition of large amounts of fat on the buttocks. In this case, fat reserves play the same function as the humps of camels.
