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As a result of evolution, man has increasingly adapted to the conditions of life and the functions performed. The vestigial organs are remnants of our ancestors that have regressed over time. We present five of them and check whether we really do not need them?
1. The coccyx
The final stretch of the spine, or coccyx, is the tail leftover that our ancestors used to maintain balance when moving through the trees. In humans, the tailbone does not carry the weight of the body, but like other parts of the spine, it is susceptible to all kinds of injuries. Pain in the coccyx may indicate weak muscle adhesion. It is also weakened or strained. Is it really unnecessary to us? Not necessarily – ligaments, tendons and muscles are attached to it. In addition, it supports our body in a sitting position.
2. Wisdom teeth
They do not give us reason, but they can cause many problems. Wisdom teeth, like the rest of the molars, are used to grind and chew food. While they were very useful to our four-legged ancestors, they are now losing their importance. Evolutionary changes in the structure of the jaw mean that today eights can hardly fit in it. And if there is not enough space for them in the dental arch, the process of their eruption does not proceed properly – they either grow out of a disadvantageous position or remain uneven. Only in some people the eights grow up completely and correctly – then they are properly placed in the arch and fulfill their function well.
3. The appendix
The appendix owes its name to a worm-like shape. This is the bulge on the cecum (otherwise known as the cecum), which is the first part of the large intestine (colon). It is not located in the same place for all people. Most often, the appendix is located in the right iliac fossa and usually hangs freely towards the pelvis. It can also lie behind the bladder or behind the cecum. It enabled our ancestors to digest cellulose polysaccharide. With us, due to the lymphatic tissue it contains, it acts as a bacterial filter. Today, no one removes the appendix prophylactically, but If the blind gut has to be cut out due to inflammation, then our body functions completely normally after the surgery. How to recognize acute appendicitis?
4. The muscles near the ears
This, in turn, is a memory of another useful skill: keeping your ears open and listening. Special the muscles around the ears allowed our ancestors to hear the impending danger, for example, of an approaching predator. Moving the auricle made it possible to pick up sounds from the surroundings better. In the course of evolution, the skill ceased to be needed, but the muscles remained. According to statistics, 20 percent. of us can still move our ears.
5. Paraspora muscle
On the one hand, it is attached to the base of the hair follicle, and on the other, to the lower epidermal tissue. The paraplegic muscles allowed the birds to frighten the feathers, and the mammals to bristle their hair in defense against danger or cold. Our hair is too short and too thin to be of any benefit to straightening it. In our case, the contraction of the parasitic muscles causes a pilomotor reaction, commonly known as: goose bumps. It appears as a raised skin in the area around the follicles (the cavity in the skin from which hair grows). The skin becomes rough, resembling the skin of a plucked goose. The reaction often occurs in the arms and thighs, although it can occur all over the body. It is caused by a low temperature or strong emotions, both positive and negative.
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