Evolution's Next Step - 15 Body Parts Future Humans May Not Have

Jun 02, 2018 by apost team

One of the fathers of evolution, Charles Darwin, complied a list of human body parts that he considered 'useless' or 'nearly useless' in his book 'The Descent of Man.' 

It was a good start, but human bodies and scientific practices have changed quite a bit and there are plenty of little muscles and bone structures that serve no practical purpose for us anymore. It might be a surprise to some, but evolution isn't going to stop with the modern homo sapiens! 

Here's a list of body parts that future humans may not have! 

Almost all of our useful hair is actually on our heads. Our eyebrows keep sweat out of our eyes, but all the hair on our chests, back, and legs doesn't do anything. Maybe it's the human version of 'fur,' but it's too thin to really retain warmth. Most people shave or wax without a second thought. 

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Sure, these cavities keep our heads lighter, but with all the congestion and headaches we suffer when the mucus lining gets inflamed or exposed to allergens, maybe we'd just be better off without them. 
 

Can you wiggle your ears? If so, congrats! These muscles are the reason why. They're much stronger and larger in dogs, rabbits, and other animals that move their ears to communicate, but other than showing off a cool talent, humans have no need for these muscles. 

No, these teeth don't make you smarter. Wisdom teeth are left over from early human days, when people had to eat more plants than meat. But today, all they're good for is crowding your mouth. A lot of people don't even have wisdom teeth anymore. 
And hey, if these go, less dental bills! 

Less than 1% of the population has these extra ribs up near the neck, and even fewer have a set of two. Maybe these bones were useful for reptiles, but they mostly cause humans nerve and arterial problems. 

Make a tight fist. Do you see a long, thin muscle popping up in the center of your wrist? If not, no worries - 11% of the population no longer has it. This muscle was much more useful when humans climbed trees and cliffs every day, but unless you're a professional rock climber or martial artist, you likely won't miss it. 

By the time fetuses start to develop distinguishing male or female characteristics, they've already developed nipples, which is why both men and women have them. But males can't lactate, so nipples actually serve no practical purpose for them.

Ever see an animal's fur stand on end when it's angry or scared? Bristling is part of an animal's body language and can insulate it in extreme temperatures. The same muscles are what cause humans to get goosebumps, but since we no longer have fur, we don't get the same benefits. 

Doesn't it seem like the only thing the appendix does is get inflamed? It's believed that the appendix used to help humans digest cellulose back when diets consisted of more plants than meat, but nowadays, it's pretty much useless. 

A typical human rib cage has twelve pairs of ribs, some true, some false, and some floating. But about 8% of the population has a thirteenth pair. Our cousins, chimpanzees and gorillas, have these as well, but they don't serve any purpose for us. 
 

This one might seem odd, but it could happen! Scientific studies have shown that our center of balance has shifted over the past few centuries. Originally, we walked with our weight over the center of our feet, but now our center is more over our big toes. If our balance keeps shifting, we will no longer require our toes for balance.

The tiny bone at the end of our spine is commonly referred to as the 'tailbone' and that's not just a funny name. Many mammals use bones like the coccyx in their own tails that they use for communication and balance, but we have no need of that.

You know that little bump of skin in the corners of your eyes, right near your tear ducts? That may be a leftover of an ancestor that had a third eyelid, designed to clean and protect the eye. But that's all that's left 

Some people have a little folded point of skin near the tops of their ears, but not everyone does. Scientists believe that earlier ancestors had larger ears to better hear distant sounds and this is all that's left. 

You know how evolutionary timeline photos show that humans evolved from creatures that walked on all fours? This muscle is probably a leftover from those days. Some people have a small muscle under the shoulder that stretches from the first rib to the collarbone. Some people even have two! 
 

Did you know about any of these? Are there any other parts of the body you think have no purpose? Let us know what you think!