Rudiments in humans table. The nature of the origin of atavisms

According to the theory of evolution, humans descended from monkeys. For millions of years, due to this process, the appearance, character, and mental capabilities of Homo Sapiens changed, distancing it from its ancestors. The era of technological progress has brought the human species to the highest level of evolutionary development. The presence of common ancestors with the animal world is now presented in the form of rudiments, examples of which will be discussed in this material.

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Characteristic

Vestigial organs- certain parts of the body that have lost their original meaning during evolutionary development. Previously performing the leading functions of the body, now they carry out secondary ones. They are laid at the initial stage of embryonic formation, without fully developing. The rudiments are preserved throughout the life of the individual. The function that they carried during standard development is significantly weakened and lost in their ancestors. The modern world cannot fully explain the essence of the presence of such underdeveloped organs in the physiological structure.

Vestigial organs are the primary evidence of evolution for Charles Darwin, who spent many years observing the animal kingdom before coming to his revolutionary conclusion.

Such body parts directly confirm family ties between extinct and modern representatives of the planet, helping to establish the path of historical development of organisms. Natural selection, which serves as the basis, removes unnecessary traits while improving others.

Examples of rudiments among the animal world:

• bird fibula;
• presence of eyes in underground mammals;
• residual hip bones, partial cetacean hair.

Rudiments of man

TO vestiges of man include the following:

• coccyx;
• wisdom teeth;
• pyramidal abdominal muscle;
• appendix;
• ear muscles;
• epicanthus;
• blinking ventricle.

Important! Examples of rudiments are common among different people. A few tribes and races possess such organs, characteristic only of their species. Each example of rudiments in humans can be identified and described in detail to bring clarity to the topic under discussion.

Types of basic rudiments

Coccyx represents the lower part of the spine, including several fused vertebrae. The function of the anterior part of the organ is to attach ligaments and muscles.

Thanks to it, there is a correct, uniform load on the pelvis. The coccyx is an example of a rudimentary tail in modern humans, which served as a center of balance.

Wisdom teeth - these are the most delayed and obstinate bone formations of the oral cavity. The original function was to assist in the process of chewing hard, tough food.

Modern human meals include more thermally processed foods, so during evolution the organ has atrophied. Located last in the row, wisdom teeth often come out in people of conscious age. A common phenomenon is the absence of “eights” and partial eruption.

Morganian ventricle- paired sac-like depressions located in the right and left parts of the larynx. The organs help create a resonant voice. Apparently, they helped the ancestors reproduce certain sounds and protect the larynx.

Appendix- vermiform appendage of the cecum. It helped distant ancestors digest rough food. Currently, its functions have diminished, but the important role of concentrating the formation of beneficial microorganisms has remained. The presence of this organ in humans has a significant negative quality - the possibility of inflammation. In this case, it needs to be removed surgically. The microflora after surgery is difficult to restore, and infectious diseases become more frequent.

Ear muscles also belong to the rudimentary features surrounding the human auricle. Ancient ancestors had the ability to move their ears, enhancing the hearing needed to avoid encounters with predators.

Attention! It is strongly not recommended to deliberately get rid of some of the listed organs, because they still perform secondary functions.

Vestigial organs of certain races

Epicanthus - vestigial vertical continuation the upper fold of the eye. The exact causes and functional features of this organ are not thoroughly known. There are suggestions that the skin fold protected the eyes from weather conditions. Characteristic of the Bushmen.

The pyramidalis abdominis muscle continues the list of vestigial organs, representing the triangular shape of muscle tissue. The main function is to tighten the linea alba.

Steatopygia - fat accumulation in the upper parts of the buttocks. Has a storage role, like a camel's hump. Characteristic of some African tribes, although this rudiment or pathology is not fully understood.

Human atavisms and differences from rudiments

There are peculiar external signs of the kinship of the human species with the animal world. Atavism is a sign present among the ancestors, but not inherent in the current species.

Those who encode it are preserved, continuing to pass on its properties to the next generation. They can be called “sleeping”; they awaken only at the birth of individuals with an atavistic trait. This happens when genetic control is lost, or due to external stimulation.

The main difference between atavism serves as the manifestation of traits in individual individuals. During embryonic development, a human individual partially follows the path of distant ancestors. At certain weeks, the embryos have gills and tail-like processes. If these signs persist during childbirth, they represent atavism.

Atavisms and rudiments alike serve as evidence theories of evolution, but if the first signs have no functions, then the second have a certain useful meaning. Some types of this phenomenon can pose a threat to health or disrupt some vital processes. Some people still speculate on the topic: is the appendix a norm in the form of a vestigial organ or an atavism.

Attention! Many atavistic signs are easily removed surgically, making life easier for the wearer.

Examples of atavisms

Many people still confuse atavisms and rudiments, attributing one to the other. The first ones have two types of signs:

• physiological;
• reflexive.

Examples of human atavism should be thoroughly studied so that the difference becomes clearer.

If people do not exhibit external signs of one thing or another, this does not mean that the genes for the signs are absent, but have the ability to manifest themselves in the future.

Atavisms are extremely rare in the population and appear only in cases where ancient ancestral genes unexpectedly appear in humans.

Here are the most common and obvious types of human atavism, making up the following list:

• excessive hairiness;
• protruding tail;
• cleft lip;
• multiple nipples in humans;
• second row of teeth;
• hiccups;
• grasp reflex in newborns.

The listed features clarify the debate among many about whether wisdom teeth, hidden or erupted, are a rudiment or an atavism. They are characteristic of many species, but not all occur. If wisdom teeth or other rudimentary parts of the body were found only in single specimens, then it would be possible classify them as atavism.

For onlookers, some oddities in a person’s appearance are another reason to groan and gossip; for an educated and tactful person, it is an opportunity to think once again about the path of human evolution.

Rudiments and atavisms are not deformities, much less a reason for ridicule, but possible “mistakes” of nature. And for scientists these are important signs, evidence of evolution.

What are atavisms

The presence in an individual of characteristics that were inherent in its distant ancestors is called atavism. What could it be? For example, thick hair on the body, including the face. Or a tail growing above the tailbone. Multi-nipple is also included here. Once upon a time, back in the century before last, atavisms and rudiments were a clear confirmation of Darwin's theory. Then scientists were so carried away by the search for “useless” organs in the human body that they counted almost two hundred of them. Fortunately, over time, most of the organs from this “Darwinian” list were, so to speak, rehabilitated. Scientists have proven that their functionality is quite high.

It turned out that:

• some organs produced the necessary hormones;
• others turned out to be necessary at one time or another in the development of the organism;
• still others began to act under certain external conditions;
• and the fourth became “substitutes” for organs that failed.

That is, the same tailbone is not a direct reminder of the tail, but an organ that serves to attach certain ligaments and muscles. Let's take other examples: the appendix is ​​not at all a useless tail-like appendage, but organ, in which the necessary microorganisms multiply.

By the way, if we talk specifically about atavisms, then this term is not truly scientific. And trying to determine the signs of atavism means acting in an anti-scientific way. Judge for yourself: increased body hair is supposedly a “hello from the past”, a reminder of who it came from there was a man. But other external deformities, for example, enlargement of fingers on the limbs, are a clear pathology, and in no way a parallel with a similar stage of development of the human body. That is, if these deformities do not have a direct resemblance to their ancestors, then this is a pathology. And if they do, it’s an atavism. But in both cases, the cause of such anomalies is a genetic failure.

By the way, if you are an adherent of the evolutionist theory, you must definitely meet people with fins and gills, and other characteristics that our animal ancestors possessed.

What are rudiments

But rudiments are considered to be undeveloped organs of the human or animal body. Let us give eloquent examples:

• Ear muscles. Some mammals really need them: it helps them direct their ears to a certain sound stimulus. A person no longer needs such an “option”.
• Semilunar fold in the inner corner of the eye. This is a remnant of the third eyelid, a fairly well developed nictitating membrane in birds and reptiles. It lubricates the eye with the necessary secretion, but in humans, the upper and lower eyelids cope with this mission. So the fold became small, turning out to be unnecessary.

Darwinists blindly denied the new role of “unnecessary” organs, but over time it was proven that not everything is so simple in the human body. One cannot simply say that the same appendix is ​​a reminder of our ancestors; no, today it is an organ of the human immune system.
Let's try to dispel some popular myths about rudiments and atavisms.

5 myths about atavisms and rudiments

Myth 1. Nipples in men are vestiges. But there’s nothing like that: they didn’t function in any way among our male ancestors either. The explanation for their presence is simple - in the early period of embryonic development, people are unisex, sexual differences appear later, which is facilitated by special hormones.

Myth 2. A wisdom tooth is a genetic disorder. But this is atavism; strong molars helped our ancestors grind plant foods. We could chew them now, but in most cases they grow incorrectly, which causes a lot of inconvenience and leads a person to a dental surgeon.

Myth 3. The connection of the esophagus to the trachea in humans is meaningless. This is not true: mucus in the respiratory tract can be removed through the esophagus, but we can say that this structure is responsible for “saving space” and allows you to breathe through the mouth, which is very important for a severe runny nose.

Myth 4. Tonsils and adenoids are rudiments. This is not true at all! These organs are necessary for the growing body: they help launch an important mechanism for the production of protective antibodies. Once the mechanism has started working, the tonsils begin to shrink, and their function is taken over by other organs.

Myth 5. All “unnecessary” organs can be removed without disastrous consequences. This is certainly not the case. The main proof is that most organs either have several functions (and if one is “outdated”, then others are very relevant), or they turn out to be necessary in certain external situations.

Why do atavisms appear?

Dad doesn’t have a ponytail, and mom doesn’t, but the baby was born so unusual. Why? How could this happen? The notorious laws of genetics must be blamed here. Our entire appearance is programmed by the genes of our ancestors (genes for repeating traits). For every human trait, two genes are responsible: mother’s and father’s. They can be different or the same, strong or weak. If dad has a weak tail gene and mom has one, when they meet, they have every chance of giving birth to a child with a tail, because having united, the weak genes have become stronger.

But in fairness, we note: the chance of such a meeting is extremely small, and hidden genes of this kind are very rare.

There are organs in the human body that have lost their significance during evolutionary development. This - . The existence of such quirks of nature today is not substantiated by anything, but is steadily duplicated from generation to generation. Although most of the rudiments are not needed, many continue to perform useful functions for humans.

Editorial "So simple!" will tell you which organs in the body are rudimentary and connect modern man with his distant ancestors.

Vestigial organs

1. Coccyx
   The tailbone is nothing more than a real tail! It once served as an organ of balance and social cues. Nevertheless, this vestigial organ is no less important today. Its anterior sections are necessary for attaching the muscles and ligaments of the pelvis.

   

   Part of the bundles of the gluteus maximus muscle, which is responsible for hip extension, is attached to the tailbone. The tailbone also helps to evenly distribute the load on the pelvis. It often happens that caudal appendage remains on the coccyx. Fortunately, now you can easily and without consequences remove such an unpleasant vestige.
   
   

2. Wisdom teeth
   Those pesky third molars ruin everyone's life every now and then. But they are the real rudiments. Statistics say that many children today are born without even the beginnings of the ill-fated “eights”.

   

   Once upon a time, when a person ate hard food, the jaws were much larger, and wisdom teeth were an extremely necessary organ that helped to grind and chew food better. Now, when food is subjected to heat treatment, and jaws have become smaller, wisdom teeth often do not have enough space in the dentition.

   They grow as they please, interfering with overall oral hygiene. They are often subject to carious processes, and in general are the first in line for removal. But if you are lucky enough to have healthy “8s”, don't rush to delete them. In the future, they may become a reliable support for bridges, for example.
   
   

3. Appendix
   This “baby” gives a person a lot of trouble. After all, appendectomy accounts for about 80% of all surgical interventions in the abdominal organs. And in the Middle Ages, appendicitis was considered a death sentence. So how was the vermiform appendix of the cecum useful?

   

   He gave our ancestors the opportunity digest roughage, and also helped in the functioning of the entire body. Nowadays, the appendix does not perform serious digestive functions, however, it still supports hormonal, secretory and protective functions.
   
   

4. Ear muscles
   It is clear why our ancestors needed the muscles surrounding the auricle: they helped wiggle your ears, to better hear the approach of predators, relatives or prey. The ear muscles are a classic example of a vestigial organ. However, people who can move their ears
   are still dating, and it looks pretty funny.
   
   
5. Morganian ventricles of the larynx
   Our ancestors needed these pouch-like depressions between the true and false vocal folds to create a resonant voice. This helped create a series of specific sounds for communication and protect the larynx.
   
   
6. Pyramidalis abdominis muscle
   Such a muscle is important only for marsupials. Many people do not have it at all. And for the lucky owners of this triangular muscle, it helps to tighten the linea alba.
   
   

It is unlikely that anyone would want to part with their appendix if it is healthy. The same can be said about wisdom teeth. However, be aware of such

For many centuries, doctors and scientists have been trying to figure out what functional role these or those organs play in the human body, at first glance, including the most useless of them: the appendix, tailbone, hairline or male nipples...

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In his famous book On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin pointed to the “rudiments” of the human body that were preserved through evolution. According to Darwin, these rudimentary organs served as one of the most striking evidence of his evolutionary theory: if earlier they were necessary for survival, then over time the need for them disappeared.

The presence of similar organs in two organisms of different species usually leads biologists to reasonably assume that the species shared a common ancestor. Vestigial organs make it possible to trace related interspecific relationships and give an idea of ​​the evolutionary development of each species.

Rudiments are usually called “extra” organs or structures of the body that have been preserved in a degenerative or atrophied form.

Scientists explain the manifestation of rudiments by the long work of evolution: although the need for them has already disappeared, the genes responsible for their manifestation remain in human DNA for a long time.

The mystery of vestigial organs has long worried many researchers, giving rise to a number of hypotheses and theories. Scientists are primarily interested in the questions of whether rudimentary organs have retained any functions that benefit the body, as well as what task they performed at a certain stage of evolutionary development.

Appendix

In herbivorous vertebrates, the appendix is ​​larger and very well developed. Its main task: to help animals digest large volumes of food of plant origin.

The human appendix is ​​a vermiform appendix located at the junction of the small intestine and the large intestine. The appendix does not directly participate in the digestion process.

Biologists are convinced that we inherited this rudimentary organ from herbivorous ancestors. As paleontologist Alfred Sherwood Romer noted in his book The Vertebrate Organism, the main benefit of the presence of the appendix is ​​for surgeons, hinting at the huge number of appendectomies performed annually when appendicitis occurs.

In 2000, nearly 300,000 such surgeries were performed in the United States alone. There were also 371 deaths due to appendicitis.

Appendix
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Why do men need nipples?

The presence of nipples in men has long been a source of numerous jokes and embarrassment. Many skeptics, questioning the evolutionary theory, like to ask a mocking question: “Do you think that maybe men evolved from women, since they still have nipples?”

Of course, this is not true. Simply, both women and men have nipples at an early stage of fetal development. During this period, the fetus can be considered asexual; Only with further embryonic development does a hormonal explosion occur, during which the sex of the child is formed. But the embryo's nipples appear long before this moment.

In general, all mammals have mammary glands, regardless of gender. Male nipples can be considered vestigial, although they may play a role in sexual arousal.

There are also cases where male breasts produced milk. Breast cancer, due to the presence of mammary glands, also occurs in men, although much less frequently than in the fair sex.

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Coccyx

The coccyx is a series of fused rudimentary vertebrae found in the lower spine of humans and other anuran vertebrates.

We inherited this vestige from our ape-like ancestors with tails, which they, like many modern mammals, used to maintain balance, communicate and grasp objects.

Since the ancestors of Homo sapiens learned to walk upright, the need for a tail has disappeared, and this limb gradually, in the process of evolutionary selection, disappeared.

Many believe that the coccyx has a functional significance in the human body: it plays a certain role in the distribution of physical activity, especially when a sitting person is bending over.

However, there are many facts about successful surgical removal of the coccyx, which did not lead to any negative consequences for patients.

Sometimes children are born with several extra vertebrae on the coccyx, that is, a small tail as an atavism. Such atavisms do not have any negative consequences for human health, although, of course, in medieval Europe, such children were most often killed along with their mothers, like the spawn of Satan.

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The effect of piloerection

Piloerection occurs when peripheral nerve endings are stimulated, which are responsible for contracting the muscles of the hair follicles. At the same time, the hairs on the human body rise, creating the effect of “goose bumps”.

In animals covered with fur, this process is important: when stimulated as a result of aggression or fear, the hairs of the animal stand on end. To a potential enemy or victim, the animal appears to be much larger in size than it actually is, which brings certain advantages in survival or hunting.

People, having gotten rid of almost completely their hair in the process of evolution, no longer need “goosebumps running down the skin” or “hair standing on end,” but they still retain this rudimentary effect.

Of course, some hair on the human body still has functional significance. Eyebrows, for example, successfully protect the eyes from drops of sweat, and hair on a man’s face gives its owner certain advantages when meeting and courting women.

Every child sooner or later asks his parents the question: “How was I born?” It would seem that everything is extremely simple: conception, pregnancy, childbirth. But scientists have been trying for thousands of years to understand where the very first people came from. There are quite a lot of opinions on this matter, but each of us is familiar with the famous theory of evolution of Charles Darwin, the main idea of ​​which is that man descended from apes. Today the site proves this theory by talking about the main “evidence” of evolution - rudiments in the human body. What are rudiments and why do we need them - read in this article.

Rudiments prove the theory of human origins

Rudiments are the most understandable, simple and obvious evidence of human evolution.

Rudiments or vestigial organs are structures of the human body that have lost their significance in the process of evolution. Such organs were necessary for people earlier in order to protect the body, help it adapt to environmental conditions, survive and produce offspring. But people became smarter, made their living conditions more comfortable, and the need for rudimentary organs gradually disappeared. At the moment, such organs do not perform their function, but are still present in our body.

How to find 5 characteristic rudiments in your body

Rudiments clearly demonstrate the difference between man and his ancestors. You probably haven’t even thought about why your body has these organs:

Palmaris longus muscle

In the body of each of us there is a muscle that was necessary for our direct ancestors - primates. It is easy to detect: turn your hand palm up and close your thumb and little finger. A ligament that belongs to the palmaris longus muscle is immediately contoured on the skin of the wrist.

Our ancestors needed it, since it was this muscle that was responsible for releasing the claws and allowing them to firmly grasp tree branches when jumping. Today, the palmaris longus muscle is involved in flexing the palm, but this rudiment does not perform its direct function.

Goose pimples

When we are cold or scared, goose bumps appear on our body. You will be surprised to know that there are hundreds of thousands of tiny muscles in your body that are responsible for raising hair. This reaction of the body was necessary for our ancestors, who had thick hair on their bodies - another rudiment.

Contraction of muscles and raising of hairs allowed the body to retain heat, and in times of danger, the raised hair gave the animal a more terrifying appearance. Today, goose bumps are just another vestige.

Lunar fold

Look in the mirror: there is a small fold of skin in the corner of your eyes. Have you ever wondered why you need it? This fold is another rudiment, a relic of the nictitating membrane.

Our ancestors needed it to moisturize and protect the surface of the eyeball. Today, the semilunar fold is preserved in birds, fish and reptiles - inhabitants of water and sky. Modern living conditions have allowed a person to get by with only two centuries, but the semilunar fold in our body has long lost its function.

Wisdom teeth

But this unpleasant rudiment is familiar to many people who have reached adulthood. The unpleasant process of growth of “eights,” as we used to call these teeth in everyday life, causes significant discomfort to a person.

Removing wisdom teeth does not disrupt the chewing process at all, because these teeth were needed only by our ancestors, who were forced to chew tough and solid foods, such as raw meat. In the modern world, we consume almost all products only after heat treatment, so there is no longer a need for wisdom teeth.

Ear muscles

Another useless muscle in the human body is the ear. Some people have retained the ability to move their ears, and can amuse others with this spectacle. But today, this is the only function the ear muscles can perform, because our ancestors used them to better hear approaching danger or prey.

In the modern world, ear muscles are just a rudiment, and “the talent of the chosen merry fellows” is nothing more.

Rudiments in the human body prove the theory of evolution, because besides them, even the smallest structures of the body play an important role for its correct and harmonious work.

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