Vestigial structures are features found in plants, animals and many living things. These structures are anatomical features that serve no purpose or functionality for the current organism there in (Yourdictionary.com, 2016). Although these structures have no known purpose they are still being passed down through generations but, after many generations may become uncommon or disappear completely (Scoville, 2016). Vestigial structures are also a very important piece of evidence supporting the theory of evolution. Humans alone have several vestigial structures that support evolution which, will be focused on in this piece. One of the most well-known and controversial vestigial structures in humans is the appendix. The appendix is a thin tube
…show more content…
Wisdom teeth are the last set of teeth people get, they grow in the very back of your mouth usually between the ages of 17 to 21 (Knowyourteeth.com, 2016). Wisdom teeth are vestigial structures because they serve no real purpose, they are similar to any other tooth and they also cause the majority of people pain, infections and discomfort since modern humans have smaller jaws. Our wisdom teeth have become useless because our ancestors ate mostly raw/lightly cooked food, like leaves and meat, this required rougher chewing making wisdom teeth very helpful, but humans today cook resulting in softer food. Also, with the introduction of orthodontics people have healthier and better-rounded teeth, making it difficult for wisdom teeth to grow in since there’s no room (Health, 2016). Today many people are born with an incomplete set of wisdom teeth and some are born with none altogether. The trait is no longer necessary, therefore through evolution is being eliminated, today more than 35% of people are born without wisdom teeth, and after generations wisdom teeth may disappear completely (MNN - Mother Nature Network, …show more content…
These vestigial structures are key pieces of evidence supporting the theory of evolution. These structures would have been very useful for our ancestors but are useless in modern humans, which supports the theory of evolution. As humans evolved the structures lost functionality and some remained as remnants without use (Rodriguez, 2016). Charles Darwin is thought to be the first person to state that vestigial structures support the theory of evolution, in his book Origin of Species he stated that these structures served a functions that were necessary for survival but through evolution became nonexistent or diminished due to the fact that they were no longer needed for survival (Evolution? and Menton, 2016). In addition, the fact that these structures can be found functioning in other closely related species also supports evolution. This supports that beneficial traits show up in populations over time, and that unneeded traits are lost (Wikipedia, 2016). An example would be like our wisdom teeth. These teeth have virtually no benefit and cause harm in many cases, and today 35% of people don’t have these teeth altogether (MNN - Mother Nature Network, 2016), this demonstrates how beneficial heritable traits arise and harmful or non-beneficial ones are lost through
Wisdom teeth are the last set of teeth people get, they grow in the very back of your mouth usually between the ages of 17 to 21 (Knowyourteeth.com, 2016). Wisdom teeth are vestigial structures because they serve no real purpose, they are similar to any other tooth and they also cause the majority of people pain, infections and discomfort since modern humans have smaller jaws. Our wisdom teeth have become useless because our ancestors ate mostly raw/lightly cooked food, like leaves and meat, this required rougher chewing making wisdom teeth very helpful, but humans today cook resulting in softer food. Also, with the introduction of orthodontics people have healthier and better-rounded teeth, making it difficult for wisdom teeth to grow in since there’s no room (Health, 2016). Today many people are born with an incomplete set of wisdom teeth and some are born with none altogether. The trait is no longer necessary, therefore through evolution is being eliminated, today more than 35% of people are born without wisdom teeth, and after generations wisdom teeth may disappear completely (MNN - Mother Nature Network, …show more content…
These vestigial structures are key pieces of evidence supporting the theory of evolution. These structures would have been very useful for our ancestors but are useless in modern humans, which supports the theory of evolution. As humans evolved the structures lost functionality and some remained as remnants without use (Rodriguez, 2016). Charles Darwin is thought to be the first person to state that vestigial structures support the theory of evolution, in his book Origin of Species he stated that these structures served a functions that were necessary for survival but through evolution became nonexistent or diminished due to the fact that they were no longer needed for survival (Evolution? and Menton, 2016). In addition, the fact that these structures can be found functioning in other closely related species also supports evolution. This supports that beneficial traits show up in populations over time, and that unneeded traits are lost (Wikipedia, 2016). An example would be like our wisdom teeth. These teeth have virtually no benefit and cause harm in many cases, and today 35% of people don’t have these teeth altogether (MNN - Mother Nature Network, 2016), this demonstrates how beneficial heritable traits arise and harmful or non-beneficial ones are lost through