The functions of vestigial organs in humans???

I was reading about vestigial organs
Lets define the word
vestigial
vɛˈstɪdʒɪəl,-dʒ(ə)l/Submit
adjective
1.
forming a very small remnant of something that was once greater or more noticeable.
"he felt a vestigial flicker of anger from last night"
synonyms: remaining, surviving, residual, leftover, lingering; More
2.
BIOLOGY
(of an organ or part of the body) degenerate, rudimentary, or atrophied, having become functionless in the course of evolution.
"the vestigial wings of kiwis are entirely hidden"
www.google.com.au...

Very interesting, so, I went to this site
www.livescience.com...
To find out what they were, and how useless they were

The Appendix:

The Tailbone:

Erector Pili and Body Hair:

Wisdom Teeth:

and Male Nipples



So are they useless, redundant and just leftover from when we were monkeys, evidently not.
Seems science likes to pretend they are useless, deny ignorance indeed
I wonder if this is some sort of conspiracy???

So lets see how useless they are with a few answers from random sites, I will try not to use to many creationist sites (I know how much y'all hate that)

Appendix;
"It has long been regarded as a potentially troublesome, redundant organ, but American researchers say they have discovered the true function of the appendix.
The researchers say it acts as a safe house for good bacteria, which can be used to effectively reboot the gut following a bout of dysentery or cholera."
www.abc.net.au...

The tailbone,
"more properly known as the coccyx, is situated at the very end of the spinal column. The tailbone is made up of three to five fused vertebral bones, though four is most common. The tailbone derived its name because some people believe it is a “leftover” part from human evolution, though the notion that the tailbone serves no purpose is wrong. The coccyx is an extremely important source of attachment for tendons, ligaments, and muscles, though it is structured quite differently than other parts of the spine."
www.laserspineinstitute.com...

Erector Pili and Body Hair:
"Human hair and the erector pili muscles are not useless. Even where it does not have an obvious protective function such as eyebrows or on the top on the head, body hair contributes to our sense of touch. Hair follicles have nerve endings wound around their bases. Whenever a hair is moved the nerve ending is stimulated.
The erecter pili muscles anchor the hair follicles in the skin and their contractions help expel secretions from the oil glands that keep the skin and hair from drying out. Normally these contractions go unnoticed. We only notice them when our autonomic nervous system, which controls them, reacts strongly to stress. When subject to strong stresses, such as fear or cold, autonomic nervous system reflexes tend to over-react and the hairs stand on end. The fact that we are subject to strong stresses is a reminder that we no longer live in the “very good” world God originally created, but the degenerate world that followed the Fall of Man and God’s judgement on the whole creation, including human bodies."
(Ref. vestigial, dermatology, epidermis)
creationresearch.net...:hair-and-erector-pili-muscles&catid=13:fact-file

Yes its a creationist site, sorry, but argue the content not the site

Wisdom Teeth;
"I was curious about when our jaws began to get too small for our wisdom teeth. This is a question for a physical anthropologist. In an article at:
www.news.harvard.edu...
An anthropologist said that the human jaw is smaller now than it was just 300 years ago, because we chew less. The bones we use more get more developed. But this would not be an evolutionary change. In evolutionary change, the genes change. If we went back to a diet that required a lot of chewing, we'd have big jaws too."
scienceline.ucsb.edu...

Male nipples A human baby inherits one copy of every gene from his or her father and one copy of every gene from his or her mother. Inherited traits of a boy should thus be a combination of traits from both his parents. Thus, from a genetic perspective, the question should be turned around: How can males and females ever diverge if genes from both parents are inherited? www.scientificamerican.com...

Now I know there are many more so called human vestigials, maybe we can have some fun with finding the true uses of them.


and if you want to play along, maybe we can look at animals as well,.
I remember some issues with vestigial pelvic Whale bones that looked like legs or something, then I read the truth.

have fun

a reply to: borntowatch

The great part about how evolution works is that it can take vestigial organs and re appropriate them for something else. Also, scientists could be wrong about various organs that they claim are vestigial and we just didn't know what they were used for. One more thing, just because it may still have a function, doesn't mean it is a necessary organ that we need to survive. Case in point, you brought up the appendix. People get them removed all the time and have no problems. Tonsils are another case. That doesn't mean that they don't have functions though. We just don't need them and they will slowly evolve away or evolve to do other things.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: borntowatch

The great part about how evolution works is that it can take vestigial organs and re appropriate them for something else. Also, scientists could be wrong about various organs that they claim are vestigial and we just didn't know what they were used for. One more thing, just because it may still have a function, doesn't mean it is a necessary organ that we need to survive. Case in point, you brought up the appendix. People get them removed all the time and have no problems. Tonsils are another case. That doesn't mean that they don't have functions though. We just don't need them and they will slowly evolve away or evolve to do other things.

Indeed, we were created in much harsher times and parts of our body have become semi redundant.
I dont doubt it, but they are still there, they havnt disappeared like our scales, fur or antenna, oops we didnt have them did we, or there remnants would still be there.
You kidder.

Case in point, you brought up the appendix. People get them removed all the time and have no problems. Tonsils are another case. - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Just for curiosities sake, I would love to see statistics on illnesses, comparing how frequent a certain illness/disease is in people with these organs, and people without.
Might it be possible that people who retain them have less cancer, higher immunity, less arthritis/bone loss,memory problems in old age,etc.?
We'll probably never know....

originally posted by: borntowatch
... The tailbone derived its name because some people believe it is a “leftover” part from human evolution ...

Everyone reading this has had a tail . Here's an image of a normal human embryo at 32days which has a tail , and an image of a cat embryo for comparison ...

originally posted by: borntowatch

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: borntowatch

The great part about how evolution works is that it can take vestigial organs and re appropriate them for something else. Also, scientists could be wrong about various organs that they claim are vestigial and we just didn't know what they were used for. One more thing, just because it may still have a function, doesn't mean it is a necessary organ that we need to survive. Case in point, you brought up the appendix. People get them removed all the time and have no problems. Tonsils are another case. That doesn't mean that they don't have functions though. We just don't need them and they will slowly evolve away or evolve to do other things.

Indeed, we were created in much harsher times and parts of our body have become semi redundant.
I dont doubt it, but they are still there, they havnt disappeared like our scales, fur or antenna, oops we didnt have them did we, or there remnants would still be there.
You kidder.

Well first off, our body hair IS remnants of fur so you are wrong there. The human evolutionary line has us becoming mammals LONG before we became apes, so your example about scales and antenna is silly since those aren't features of mammals. Even IF we had those parts in the past, we've had WAY more time to evolve away from them than things like the appendix (which only recently stopped being so useful).

originally posted by: nugget1

Case in point, you brought up the appendix. People get them removed all the time and have no problems. Tonsils are another case. - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Just for curiosities sake, I would love to see statistics on illnesses, comparing how frequent a certain illness/disease is in people with these organs, and people without.
Might it be possible that people who retain them have less cancer, higher immunity, less arthritis/bone loss,memory problems in old age,etc.?
We'll probably never know....

I don't know, but I won't say that we'll never know. I'm sure some scientist at some point will have this same curiosity and do the tests to find out (if they haven't been done already). Scientists CAN be wrong and maybe the appendix isn't as vestigial as we say it is.

a reply to: borntowatch

I wouldn't say that any of those you listed were "vestigial" in nature.

There is new research to suggest that the appendix is a storehouse for good bacteria for when you get an imbalance of it in your gut. I'd provide a link but I'm being lazy right now. Google it.

a reply to: borntowatch

If things continue down their current path, the brain and the scrotum will both need to be added to the list of vestigal human organs in future generations.

I have my wisdom teeth, but then I also have what the doc described as "cave man jaw", so I successfully avoided the pain and surgeries my friends mostly had to endure.

Nipples are sensitive and are considered erogenous zones in both males and females. Vestigal... perhaps, without purpose? Absolutely not!

a reply to: engvbany

Shows you how similar mammals are without even knowing it!

Also, to the OP:

Nipples are a result of all things starting as female(or X, whatevs man)

Hairs standing on end could have a function in regard to sensing danger(or excitement). It makes your skin a lot more sensitive. I found this out the hard way when I experienced my first kiss.

Also, in regard to the appendix it could just be that we don't know what it does. Not saying that's the case but we've only had a definite idea of DNA since the 50's. Kind of silly to think that we know everything of the human body.

So what may appear to be useless leftovers may indeed have important functions.

i suspect that at least many of the vestigal organs aren't. for example it has been discovered that the appendix acts as a storm shelter for the intestinal microflora in the event of severe diarhea. it allows the proper balance of gut bacteria to be preserved when you are really sick. otherwise th the balance could shift to microbes which are not benificial. you need certain gut fauna to digest things you cannot. and it (mix of gut fauna) also has effects on your stomach's immune system.

a reply to: stormbringer1701

Did not know that at all.

Do you have a link to that study by chance? I have never heard of the appendix having a function. I would def want to read that one!

a reply to: borntowatch

Wisdom teeth aren't vestigial. Weston Price showed that people who ate a natural
balanced whole food diet had plenty of room for all their teeth.

a reply to: ScientiaFortisDefendit


I did provide a link

Feel free to add any others and we will see if we can find a valid reason for their existence

I don't know if the appendix is shrinking but I had read that it is, maybe that's part of the reason for the huge increase in IBS, food allergies and intolerances. I don't think any of the organs are unnecessary either because they do serve a purpose, just not lifesaving per se.

originally posted by: OrphanApology
a reply to: stormbringer1701

Did not know that at all.

Do you have a link to that study by chance? I have never heard of the appendix having a function. I would def want to read that one!

well i read the actual study a few years ago but here is what a different (webmd) article has to say:

www.webmd.com...

basically i just googled the appendix does have apurpose. i suppose that should lead to the original research somewhere in there.

originally posted by: borntowatch

The Appendix:

In biology, it is best to consider that a part of the body may not "have a purpose". We weren't put together on the assembly line. That said, a vital function of the appendix is to ensure continuity of abdominal flora and fauna. The various bacteria and microorganisms that live in your gut and provide digestion for various foods.

When you get sick, and the bowels end up being flushed by the body, there are nooks and crannies where the flora/fauna survive. The appendix is one great example of this.

The Tailbone:

The spine has to end somewhere, doesn't it? Yes, there is a bony protrusion there. Likely because nothing has created pressure to breed out the genes. Otherwise, we would have either a longer one, or a shorter one. But no matter what, the spine will still have a point where it ends.

Erector Pili and Body Hair:

Ingo Swann somewhat famously talked at great length about humans having a couple dozen different senses beyond the typical 5. Hot/cold are 2 different senses, for example.

Erector Pili, and body hair, are part of a sensory input apparatus. When your hair stands on end, you are able to feel very, very slight movements in the air around you. If you have more body hair, you also look larger. Sure, we don't really need this anymore. But that isn't from us evolving. It is because we have put ourselves into an unnatural environment with things like clothes. And we aren't having to make ourselves look larger in fighting situations like we did when we were roaming the plains with spears.

Wisdom Teeth:

and Male Nipples

Male nipples occur because gender isn't determined until after the basic framework is established in the womb.

a reply to: borntowatch

The Appendix is also a source of White Blood Cells...
So i'm sure it's great to have during a battle with Cancer!!!

I always wonder if Doctors consider this!!!
I also wonder the survival rate for those with an Appendix compared to those who've had it removed!!!


Peace borntowatch!!!

a reply to: borntowatch

The Appendix:

The Tailbone:

Erector Pili and Body Hair:

Wisdom Teeth:

and Male Nipples - See more at:

Just an FYI. The appendix still has a use to store bacteria. Wisdom teeth are only useless because of the dental work we do on teeth. Our teeth aren't rotted out when they grow in, so they are useless now but only because of technology. If something happens and we lose that knowledge, they may become useful again. Body hair is useful as well, although way less useful that it once was. Technology once again rendered it useless for most of us. Male nipples can still be milked. Obviously they don't produce nearly enough to sustain a child for long, but it can happen and be useful in emergency situations. Tailbone is a very good example, though, and Arrector pili?