Top 10 Signs Of Evolution In Modern Man

Listverse ^ | January 5, 2009

[cacoethes_resipisco]

Through history, as natural selection played its part in the development of modern man, many of the useful functions and parts of the human body become unnecessary. What is most fascinating is that many of these parts of the body still remain in some form so we can see the progress of evolution. This list covers the ten most significant evolutionary changes that have taken place - leaving signs behind them.

[dr_lew]

We’re all DEVO !

It’s true. What traits are being selected for ? I ask you.

[Safrguns]

I just wanna know when we get to sprout wings
always wanted to do that... just cant get my jeans to cooperate darnit!

[count-your-change]

“Anatomical Variations of the Plantaris Muscle
and a Potential Role in Patellofemoral
Pain Syndrome
A. JAY FREEMAN, NATHAN A. JACOBSON, AND QUENTIN A. FOGG*
Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, American University of the Caribbean,
Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles

....The presence
of interdigitations strengthen the argument that the plantaris muscle supplement
the activity of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle whereas the
patellar extension suggests an involvement with patellofemoral dynamics and
may play a role in the various presentations of patellofemoral pain syndrome.”

The gastrocnemius in the above is one of the big muscles in the calf and plantaris is thought to help this muscle rather act as a strong muscle its self. But for all the talk of it's being useless, a more honest statement would be that we don't know it's function in humans.

Ignorance of function certainly is not proof of no function, as with “junk” DNA, appendix, etc.

[count-your-change]

Since you seem to type pretty well I guess you haven’t lost your opposable thumbs yet so you’re safe for now.
I find the article long on opinion and then even longer on opinion. But that’s me.

[dr_lew]

You’ve heard of eyeglasses haven’t you? How do you account for them ?

[pankot]

#9 The nasal organ: I can identify which children are mine in a dark room by their scent. (Not “smell”, but scent,two different things.) My ex-wife was fine until she had mental problems, shock treatments and drug treatments. Afterward her scent changed, like onions. Lost my sex urge for her. Years later I met a woman I was drawn to, I didn’t understand it until I got close enough to pick up the scent (not perfume or anything else) of her skin.At first she thought I was nuts to want to smell her skin,which turned me on. Best Experience of my life. Eventually discovered she grooved on my scent. No aftershave or cologne, just my scent. Not as nuts as it sounds; even science has suggested scent is how we pick our mates, regardless of what we think it was.

[TigersEye]

#10 - false: In cold situations, the rising hair traps air between the hairs and skin, creating insulation and warmth. ... Humans no longer benefit from goose bumps and they are simply left over from our past when we were not clothed and needed to scare our own natural enemies.

My forearms have fairly light hair on them but they do retain warmth when raised. I have tested that.

#9 - false: Humans are born with the Jacobson’s organ, but in early development its abilities dwindle to a point that it is useless.

For crying out loud. Decades of studies have been done showing the affects of human pheromones on the opposite sex and the same sex. (Male pheromones stimulate aggressiveness in other males.)

#2 - Case wasn't even made: but we did not lose the need do have a use for the coccyx: it now functions as a support structure for various muscles and a support for a person when he sits down and leans back. The coccyx also supports the position of the anus.

[count-your-change]

In a warm pool of sand eons past lightening hit and melted the sand into glass. The glass lay for millions of years being ground by the wind into bifocals while successive strikes melted metal ores and various minerals and the melted metal formed around the glass into frame like structures.

Then millions of years later space aliens opened up offices selling these naturally forming objects and the rest is history.

[grey_whiskers]

What is the survival value of wiggling one’s ears; what is the selection pressure behind it; please quantify?

[dread78645]

You aren’t understanding my post. I wanted to see evidence of anatomical changes IN THE LAST 2 OR 3 THOUSAND YEARS.

Check with your local YE creationist.
They claim that 4300 years ago, Noah saved the the 'cat' kind in his ark.

This 'cat' kind begat lions, tigers, panthers, hyenas (yes, hyenas are felines), leopards, jaguars, pumas, cheetahs, the lynx, caracals, and bobcats, not to mention Fluffy the house cat.

If that ain't evolution ...

[mamelukesabre]

Since you brought up the bible...I’m going to throw out a very vague memory of mine and see if anyone with bible knowledge can back it up for me.

When I was a kid, I sorta remember my dad(or possibly a grandfather) telling me that someone in the bible was touched on the leg by god or perhaps it was an angel...and after that, one of his leg muscles withered up and became useless. Every one of his offsprings was born with the same withered useless leg muscle.

I am wondering if this leg muscle described in the article is the one I remember in the story?

[dbz77]

If you look up “Eli Grubman” on Google Groups, you will find that some humans missed out on evolution.