Vestigial Organs Not So Useless After All, Studies Find

I find it really amazing that people actually believe that nature would keep useless parts for so long. But then scientists believe the 97% of the DNA is junk.

I guess it's because it's simply easier to categorize it as junk than recognize that they don't fully understand it and can't explain what it does.

Yet another proof of how medicine and science in general are too damn arrogant and love to assume things.



[edit on 1-8-2009 by thomas_]

reply to post by warrenb


wow! good thing I stll have all of those. I thought my appendix was coming out a couple times but meds did the trick.

I had intestinal resection though; for a congenital anomaly in my small intestine

WOW - It's almost as if some kind of intelligent design were behind the fabrication of the human body. Whoa, what could that be?

reply to post by warrenb


It reminds me when you have to go the the hospital and they take a blood sample from you.Do you really think they need that much blood to test.Maybe the blood is going elses where and given to someone else to do god knows what kind of experiments or research with.

Originally posted by fraterormus
Tonsils are rarely removed anymore, even when infected.[ ...]

[...]My doctor told me that I have an active (functioning) Appendix. He has no idea what it does, but just knows I'm the first case he's ever seen of one that is apparently active. I know precisely what it does and when it became active. I suffered a caffeine overdose from consuming 5lbs of Chocolate-covered Espresso beans in a 1 hour period. I had convulsions, projectile vomiting, blackouts, and had to get my stomach pumped at the Emergency Room. Ever since then, the moment that I drink coffee or eat Espresso beans the entire contents of my Intestinal Tract are immediately purged within 3-5 minutes of consumption of the recognized toxin. From my personal experience it seems to remember toxins and upon detection of them in the Digestive System it purges the entire Digestive System to prevent the toxin from entering the blood stream. This was probably an incredibly useful survival ability to our ancient ancestors who ate whatever strange berries they could find. As it seems to be dormant until you suffer an extreme physical reaction to a toxin, it doesn't mean that it's non-functional.

Interesting angle. Have you ever mentioned this theory to a medical researcher??

I'd have thought your brain would regulate 'remembering' bad experiences with caffeine etc. and would look after purging the 'toxins'. But maybe some vestigal dohickey has something to do with it. Interesting nonetheless

reply to post by GORGANTHIUM
no, that goes to the vampire ptb...you asked

Originally posted by thomas_
I find it really amazing that people actually believe that nature would keep useless parts for so long. But then scientists believe the 97% of the DNA is junk.

I guess it's because it's simply easier to categorize it as junk than recognize that they don't fully understand it and can't explain what it does.

Yet another proof of how medicine and science in general are too damn arrogant and love to assume things.

All of which are very good points!

Survival of the species is dependent upon evolution. Nature attempts this by using infinite diversity through infinite combinations. Like snowflakes, no two humans are ever exactly alike. Within the genetic makeup of each of us is something which has mutated from the original source. Those mutations that prove to be beneficial to our survival are kept and passed on. Those that don't prove beneficial are discarded, assuming they survived a mutation that was non-beneficial. That "Junk DNA" is the checklist of the non-beneficial mutations so that our descendants don't have to repeat the same genetic mutations that didn't work out.

Imagine what would happen to our species if we started Gene Splicing out this Junk DNA! Eugenics via Selective Breeding is one thing, but Genetics via Gene Splicing, Gene Therapy and Gene Silencing is an altogether different thing that could very easily prove fatal to our species. We should not mess with the building blocks that the continuation of species is dependent upon until we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what we are doing.

Next to the arrogance of modern medicine, the false assumptions they like to make, and their megalomaniacal vanity, their next greatest sin is the generalization that all humans share the same physiology. Although on an idealistic level all humans are created equal, our physiology is not. We may be 99.9% similar to one another, but that .1% leaves an awful lot of variation possible. You cannot so easily generalize that the average is normal, let alone assume that everyone will be average. The reason modern medicine is still in the Dark Ages using scalpels and barely a step beyond Leechdom is for this sole reason. One treatment does not fit all. Pharmaceutical companies realize this (otherwise they wouldn't have disclaimers that read: "Cureitol doesn't work for all people. May cause cancer, seizures, diabetes, chronic vomiting, and rectal bleeding in some people. Consult with your doctor before taking Cureitol to find out if it is right for you."). Until Modern Medicine realizes that every patient is an exception to the rule we may finally make advances but otherwise we'll still be no more effective than using leeches, drills, and bone saws despite our expensive multi-million dollar machines that go "ping".

Originally posted by Welfhard

Originally posted by fraterormus
5000 psi water cannon out of my backside if I consume coffee in any form now.

God. A life not worth living....

[edit on 31-7-2009 by Welfhard]

Great for parties though.

reply to post by eniac


This is true for sure. When i was a child we made chocolate fudge at school once. It was great and one large tray gave everyone in the class a taste. So that weekend I made some when m parents went out, and ate the whole tray to myself, which of course made me very sick.
To this day, the thought of sickly chocolate fudge makes me want to hurl. I have eaten a small piece now and then, and still I end up running to the toilet and throwing up. I ate all that fudge at about age 12. I am 37 almost now, and I feel sick even just thinking about it.

Just to note i have all my organs but no wisdom teeth.

Someone earlier mentioned Tabasco sauce in their diet. I believe chili based food does wonders for balancing the bacteria in your gut. I make sure I have some at least once a week, otherwise I have all sorts of issues.

Originally posted by FritosBBQTwist
I don't give stars and flags out much except for topics that actually teach me some new information!

It states that these help heal mice...so I am guessing they are making a inference that ours does the same?

Mice are very close to how our own system works, thats why they test vaccines and things and mice.

Originally posted by eniac
Have you ever mentioned this theory to a medical researcher??

Other than my doctor, no. I have so many medical anomalies and have been poked and prodded for almost two straight decades by medical researchers that I'd rather not go through any more unless my own child's health or the health of my eventual grandchildren is dependent upon it.

I spent 4 years in Sleep Studies because I have the "Holy Trinity" of Sleep Disorders (Narcolepsy+Insomnia+Apnea)...and I Lucid Dream in R.E.M. while being consciously aware of my physical surroundings and being able to respond and interact with my physical surroundings while asleep, even while under the effects of Sleep Paralysis.

I've had blood work taken daily for 10 years because my body produces antibodies for Rabies, Tetanus, and over 5000 parasites (a blood test shows me positive for all of them, but further studies show that my body just pumps out antibodies/antigens for them even though I've never had contact with any of them).

I've had my Thyroid studied at length because I have Hyperthyroidism, have almost no Melatonin although I have normal Tryptophan levels, yet my Serotonin levels are off the charts (into the realm of Toxicity) yet there is no discernible source for such, nor do I suffer ill effects from those high Serotonin levels. My Hyperthyroidism also causes my body temperature to be 3 degrees higher than normal. After 2 years of testing, specialists determined that I have a "lazy" Pineal gland and an "overactive" Hypothalamus which prevents the proper operation of my Thyroid...but since my body won't metabolize Melatonin those glands can't be treated by traditional means so they don't have any idea how to resolve my problem other than nuking my Thyroid altogether with Oral Chemotherapy (Irradiated Iodine) resulting in Hypothyroidism instead.

So I'm done being a Guinea Pig for Medicine. Any Medical Researchers are free to take my theories gained from personal experience on the function of the Appendix and claim them for themselves, but I'm not going to volunteer to be a test subject even if I were the only one who can trigger it's operation so easily.

The only benefit of so much Medical Testing through the years is that it has convinced me that having so many anomalies isn't unusual at all. Every person probably has a long list of medical anomalies unique to themselves. Also, it has made me consider the purpose of each of these and I no longer consider them "diseases" that need to be "treated" but rather useful evolutions.

I might go from being actively awake to R.E.M. in under 5 minutes without going through the 3 Stages of N.R.E.M. and tend to do such at the most inopportune times (like in the middle of a speech, or while driving a motor vehicle), but I can go 5 days at a time without sleep and without any side-effects. That gives me far more waking hours than the average person. It's like living an extra life. I might be physically drained all the time because I'm a walking Antigen Factory, but I don't ever have to worry about Bacterial, Parasitic, Neuroviral or Neurotoxin infections.

Just because Medicine classifies something as "abnormal" or as a "disorder" doesn't mean that it isn't useful and potentially a desirable trait. Which is especially why we should reconsider what Medicine defines as "Vestigial".

Nice find WarrenB, i expect this of you, what i dont expect is a discovery from scientists in the medical section finding something that seems so basic as this.....how in bleedin jesus did this go un-noticed??

surely the monitoring over the years of the human anatomy by even the best would have picked up such a thing......

Correct me if im wrong, but does this not jepordise everything else we have learned or grown to trust through such a profession???

S & F.

what about wisdom teeth? mine were fully developed and properly alighned- no doubt making them fully functional. even the dentist commented so but he took them out anyways.