Up until now, you must have thought every organ inside the human body is useful and has a purpose. The liver and kidneys are responsible for detoxing, the lungs are responsible for breathing, the heart is essential for pumping blood and the stomach is responsible for digesting and processing food. That’s true.
But what if we tell you that certain body parts in humans are no longer useful? Yes, you read that right. You might argue that these organs must be there for a reason. Yes, some of those organs used to have a purpose, but not now.
“Not now?”
What do we mean by that? We are pointing towards the evolution of mankind. Some of these organs are there because they were essential for survival centuries before. But not now.
Looks interesting, right? Well, we’ll tell you more about these useless organs in this blog post.
Male nipples
Male nipples had to be there.
Not in men, but in this blog’s list. They’re practically useless as males can’t nurse babies. So, what purpose do they have?
It’s because nipples are among the first structures to develop in an embryo, forming before the embryo differentiates into male or female. Around the seventh week of pregnancy, the embryo begins to develop sexual characteristics, but by that time, nipples and some other basic structures are already in place.
If the embryo has a Y chromosome, it develops male characteristics, and if it has two X chromosomes, it develops female characteristics. However, since nipples form before this differentiation occurs, all humans, regardless of sex, end up with nipples.
Hence, all humans have nipples, even males. Male nipples may not be capable of lactation but still respond to sexual stimulation.
Appendix
You must have heard several cases wherein people’s appendix burst causing unbearable pain. In these instances, the appendix is removed precisely because humans can do without it. The appendix serves no essential purpose according to studies, however, newer studies do claim that they might be home to good bacteria. More research is needed to prove the claims.
If not now, the appendix had an important role to play, several millions of years ago. As per Charles Darwin, it helped humans digest plants. As our diet has also changed over the centuries, the appendix is practically useless.
Wisdom teeth
We have all heard about wisdom teeth – probably when someone grows it. It might help you chew food, but you can do just fine without it. Most people have wisdom teeth develop late, impacting the other teeth. You must have observed it overlapping other teeth. It is to be noted that there is actually no space for it, and one was doing just fine without it before. Hence, it may be a useless part of the body.
It might have been useful when humans had larger jaws. Now they have become smaller over time, given the lifestyle and eating habits of humans.
Tailbone
What if we told you humans have a tail? You cannot see it but it is there. We are talking about the coccyx. It is located at the end of the vertebra. It is the residuum of our ancestral tail. Yes, our ancient animal ancestors did have tails which disappeared as the mammals evolved and as apes diverged from monkeys. It happened around 20 million years ago.
As per experts, the coccyx forms during early development in the womb as a remnant of what is called the “caudal eminence”—a small tail-like structure that appears between the fourth and eighth weeks of gestation. While this tail-like structure usually regresses and disappears as the embryo develops, the coccyx remains as a skeletal remnant. The coccyx is actually made up of four small vertebrae, called coccygeal vertebrae. In some people, these vertebrae can fuse together as they age, forming a single, more solid bone. This fusion process can vary, and in some individuals, the vertebrae remain separate throughout their lives.
The external ear
Have you observed deer, cats and other animals pivot their ears in response to sounds? However, for humans, the external ear, also known as the auricle is mostly a leftover structure with little biological function, aside from holding up our glasses.
Closing thoughts
While these vestigial body parts may seem out of function today, they were a significant part of our evolutionary journey. They offer a glimpse into the lives of our distant ancestors, revealing how our bodies have adapted and changed over millions of years.
