Anthropologist Calls Out Our Useless Evolutionary Leftovers In 6 Tweets

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mattstaff
Jul 7, 2019 10:00 PM EDT

This evolutionary anthropologist is here to call out all our ridiculous evolutionary leftovers that seemingly serve no purpose. They just fell through the cracks. Thanks a lot evolution! 

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  • 01
    evolutionary leftovers - Text - Dorsa Amir @DorsaAmir 1d Did you know the human body is full of evolutionary leftovers that no longer serve a purpose? These are called vestigial structures and they're fascinating. (1/8) L21K 512 48.8K Dorsa Amir @DorsaAmir 1d Replying to @DorsaAmir Put your hand flat on a surface and touch your pinky to your thumb. Do you see a raised band in your wrist? That there's a vestigial muscle called the palmaris longus. It used to help you move around the trees. About
    via @DorsaAmir
  • 02
    evolutionary leftovers - Wildlife - Dorsa Amir @DorsaAmir 1d Replying to @DorsaAmir Check out your ear. Do you see this little bump? That's called Darwin's tubercle. It used to help you move your ears around. Now that we have super-flexible necks, we don't need these anymore. (3/8) 98 L1845 5,848
    via @DorsaAmir
  • 03
    evolutionary leftovers - Text - Dorsa Amir @DorsaAmir 1d Replying to @DorsaAmir Here's a more obvious one: the tailbone. This is the ghostly remainder of our lost tails, which were useful for balance & movement in trees. We still grow tails as embryos, but then attack and destroy them in the following weeks. Not the most efficient system. (4/8) we t780 5,688 60
    via @DorsaAmir
  • 04
    evolutionary leftovers - Eyebrow - Dorsa Amir @DorsaAmir 1d Replying to @DorsaAmir Ever wonder what this little pink thing in your eye is? This is the plica semilunaris. It used to be a third eyelid that would blink horizontally. You can see this in action in the eyes of many other animals. (5/8) plica semilunaris 70 ti1,346 7,909
    via @DorsaAmir
  • 05
    evolutionary leftovers - Hair - Dorsa Amir @DorsaAmir 1d Replying to @DorsaAmir Oh, and you know how you sometimes get goosebumps when you're cold or scared? That's a vestigial reflex that used to raise body hair to make you appear bigger or trap an extra layer of heat for warmth. Some people can actually do this on purpose. (6/8) 7,499 t1937 88
    via @DorsaAmir
  • 06
    evolutionary leftovers - Text - Dorsa Amir @DorsaAmir 1d Replying to @DorsaAmir Another cool reflex is the palmar grasp reflex. If you place your finger on an infant's palm (or feet!), they will try to grasp it. Ancestral primate babies would have used this to grasp on to their parents for transport. (7/8) 1919 7,294 51 Dorsa Amir @DorsaAmir 1d Replying to@DorsaAmir These are just a few pieces of evolutionary baggage handed down to you from your primate ancestors, among others. Your body is basi
    via @DorsaAmir

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