In Charles Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species, he referred to a number of “vestiges” in human anatomy that he posited are remnants left over from the course of our species’ development over time. Darwin suggested that these vestigial organs are evidence of evolution and represent functions that were once necessary for our survival, but have since had their role drastically diminished or even eliminated altogether. This concept formed the basis for the idea of common descent which predicts that organisms should retain these vestigial organs as structural remnants of lost functions. The following are 10 examples of vestigial organs that have shed some light on where we came from and where we’re heading on the evolutionary road.
10. The Appendix
In plant-eating vertebrates, the appendix is much larger and has a much more pronounced function in helping the animal digest a predominantly herbivorous diet. In humans, the appendix is a tiny pouch located at the junction between the large and small intestine and, while it might have helped our primate ancestors breakdown a diet rich in cellulose, today it doesn’t aid in digestion directly. Interestingly, in a text called The Vertebrate Body, paleontologist Alfred Sherwood Romer noted that the major importance of the appendix “would appear to be financial support of the surgical profession”, referring, of course, to the large number of appendectomies performed annually. In the United States alone there are nearly 300,000 appendectomies performed each year, and more than 350 annual deaths resulting from appendicitis. So any secondary function that the appendix might still perform is surely not important enough keep it around in the event that it might rupture.
http://distractdaily.com/25-of-the-worst-pick-up-lines-and-what-you-could-say-instead/3/ Via DistractDaily.com
