We know that humanity has gone through so many changes regarding the species itself, such as the evolution to different orders from Homo neanderthalensis and Homo floriesensis to what we are today, but there hasn’t been a particular transcendent change since then.
However, according to some studies and cases, maybe the humans from a hundred years from now would be considerably different as we are. We aren’t talking about the technological advances or so, but how some body parts would no longer be because they aren’t needed anymore. Today we are going to talk about 10 body parts that will likely disappear in the future.
10. Wisdom Teeth
This one is kind of obvious but is interesting because they are already disappearing in the younger generations. Wisdom teeth are annoying, it is a common pain that people go through, they take years to come out and when they do, they are removed. These were useful when our ancestors had to chew raw, stiff meat and hard cereal, but clearly, we don’t have to do this anymore.
9. Ear Muscles
Have you noticed that some people can move their ears like they were a cartoon? This is because they have their ear muscles a little bit more developed than usual, but these muscles don’t do much anymore. They had the same function as dogs and cats’ ear muscles, to find prey and hide from predators, but we are no hunters anymore.
8. Pyramidalis Muscle
When it is present, it is located in the lower part of the abdomen, it is very variable, it can even be two, but 20% of the world doesn’t have it anymore. It seems like the pyramidalis muscle’s job is to contract the linea alba that is in the middle of the abs, something that is completely irrelevant for modern humans, but handy when we walked in all fours.
7. Appendix
Other than giving appendicitis to a person, there is no other use for this organ. This is another vestige from when we had to feed on the wildness, specifically from plants. The appendix is similar to a bag that is attached to the large intestine and its function was to digest the excess fructose and seeds. A small percentage of the population doesn’t have it anymore.
6. Third Eyelid
A lot of animals have what is commonly called a third eyelid, such as otters. Humans used to have this too, they were used for protection, mainly against water and air, but still being able to see. As of today, it can be seen as a small pink membrane in the inner corner of the eye, as a vestige, but in a few years, it will no longer be present.
5. Male Nipples
This one is more than a hypothesis more than a proven fact. Everybody knows that nipples on men are completely useless and they only increase the risk of breast cancer. They appear in the embryo because the X chromosome kicks in faster than the Y, but later their development sort of stops. A lot of studies have found that male nipples had considerably become smaller, so experts believe maybe they would disappear.
4. Palmaris Longus
The palmaris longus in the forearm is inconstant and is actually very easy to see if you have it or not, just put your fingers together and flex the wrist, if you see a small tendon popping out from the skin, you have it. This muscle is a vestige from our primate ancestors, who needed to climb from the trees and had to have more support to catch that weight.
3. Subclavius Muscle
This is a very small muscle that hides under the collarbone. The subclavius muscle was really useful when we had to walk on four legs, but today as bipeds it doesn’t do anything. Still, there haven’t been reports that the presence of the muscle turns into something prejudicial. It can be inconstant, but most people still have it.
2. Body Hair
Some people have a lot of body hair, while others rarely have to shave their legs or armpits. The main function of body hair is to keep us warm, something that was really necessary when our ancestors used to live in caves or so, but now we have houses, and clothes that do the job. It will be less and less present in the next generations.
1. Gooseflesh
The gooseflesh is actually arrector pili muscles and they are related to the body hair. These involuntary muscles contract in different situations, mainly when we are scared or when we are really cold. Many centuries ago they were activated when we had to scare our prey and would put the abundant body hair in point to make us look bigger, however, today they don’t have other uses.
After reading all of these unneeded organs you may have wondered why were these in the first place if they were so unnecessary? It is all the result of natural selection when some things used to be useful but at some point, the species evolved and its necessities started to change.
