Top Ten "Useless" Organs
Can there really be a useless
organ? Well, no one wants to part with their appendix, until it acts up. Same
with wisdom teeth. See what other ha-ha's Mother Nature endowed us with.
No. 10 - Plica semilunaris (third eyelid)
You may not know it, but you have
a third eyelid. Pull open the two more noticeable eyelids and take a look - it's
located right in the corner by the tear duct. The third eyelid is left over from
what's known as a "nictitating membrane," which is still present in animals like
chickens, lizards and sharks.
No. 9 - Body Hair
No doubt we were once hairier. Up
until about 3 million years ago, we were covered with it. But by the time
Homo erectus arrived, the ability to sweat meant we could shed our wooly
ways.
No. 8 - Sinuses
Doctors don't really know much
about sinuses, only that we have a lot of them. Possibilities for their function
range from insulating our eyes to changing the pitch and tone of our voice.
No. 7 - Adenoids
Adenoids trap bacteria, but
they're also prone to swelling and infection. Just ask any 7-year-old. Luckily,
our adenoids shrink with age and are often removed, along with ...
6. Tonsils
The tonsils are another useless part of the body that can cause certain
people a lot of pain. Open your mouth wide and you’ll see a tonsil on each side
of your throat, unless you have had them removed. Tonsils are lymphoid tissues
that are prone to becoming infected and swelling up. And you know what that
means, surgery to get rid of ‘em!
5. Coccyx
The coccyx, more commonly known as the tailbone, is the last part of the
human vertebrae. It consists of five separate or fused vertebrae and is the
remnant of the vestigial tail. However, the coccyx isn’t completely useless. It
does allow many different ligaments, tendons, and muscles to attach. It is also
helpful when it comes to weight-bearing. In any case, the coccyx is generally
much more important in those mammals with tails.
4. Arrector Pili
The arrector pili are extremely small muscle fibers that are attached to each
hair follicle on your body. It is known to make the hairs stand, which causes
goose bumps. Most mammals, including his humans have these small muscle fibers;
however, they serve no real purpose. They are much more helpful when it comes to
animals with much more hair because they provide a layer of
insulation.
3. Wisdom teeth
Wisdom teeth are those that are located in the back of the mouth. These teeth
were once very helpful, especially when humans had a diet that consisted of a
lot of tough meat. Wisdom teeth, at this time, allowed humans to properly chew
their food. Nowadays, many people don’t even get them. And if they do, they’re
surely in for a surprise. Generally wisdom teeth are removed, due to them
growing in wrong or causing pain. These chompers can cause a lot of pain either
way!
2. Appendix
The appendix is a narrow, muscular tube that attaches to the large intestine.
Its purpose is to digest cellulose. The appendix was a more important and
necessary organ when the body was introduced to more vegetables. When the human
diet consisted of mostly plants, the appendix was extremely important. However,
in today’s world, the appendix isn’t a necessary organ. In fact, sometimes the
1. Male nipples This doesn’t need much of an explanation. Males don’t breastfeed, so nipples
really aren’t needed. I guess they serve as decoration.
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