Do the appendix, wisdom teeth, and tailbone show we evolved?

Answer:

Vestigial organs and structures are a classical example of the arrogance of some people. It has long been assumed that if a part of the body's function cannot be determined or if the person can function well without the part, then it must be a leftover from earlier mutations. However, consider this: many people manage to function well despite missing fingers, toes, or even entire limbs. Does it follow that these structures are not really needed and, therefore, useless leftovers? If we don't know the function of a part, does that mean the part has no function or that we are ignorant?

The funny part is that every part of the human body has now had its purpose identified. However, the news hasn't reached the general public. People continue to quote outdated information.

Let's take the appendix. It isn't directly involved in digestion, which is why its function was unknown for so long. But it does have a purpose. Our gut depends on bacteria (also known as flora) to aid in digestion. The appendix is a reservoir of that flora, so when something happens to wipe out the flora in our gut, the beneficial flora can be repopulated from the appendix. For example, when bad bacteria invade the gut, the body's reaction is to flush them out, which is known as diarrhea. The appendix then repopulates the gut. We also know that the appendix plays an active role in our immune system. ["Appendix May Actually Have a Purpose," WebMD] and ["What Does the Appendix Do? Finally an Answer," News Medical]. Sure, we can function without it, but it doesn't mean we necessarily function as well.

Wisdom teeth are often deemed useless today due to our modern diet and modern dentistry, but that doesn't mean they serve no purpose. It has been noted that diet affects the shape of a human's jaw. Our modern diet tends to produce a shorter but wider jaw, which leaves little room for wisdom teeth. The hunter-gatherer diet tends to produce a longer, narrower jaw, which has plenty of room for wisdom teeth. In addition, before the advent of modern dentistry, it was common to lose teeth; the wisdom teeth helped fill in the gaps produced by lost teeth. ["Wisdom Teeth Reflect the Creator's Foresight," Reasons to Believe].

"The tailbone is commonly thought of as the remnant of an actual tail, left over from a time before we evolved into humans. Some describe it as a "vestigial tail," meaning it has no real purpose in our bodies. However, it does serve as an attachment site for muscles and ligaments, which makes this a misnomer. There are several muscles that attach to the tailbone, including the gluteus maximus, the levator ani, the sphincter ani externis and the coccygeus. These muscles all play important roles in standing, bowel control and pelvic floor support" ["About the Tail Bone," eHow].

In other words, unlike the appendix and wisdom teeth, which we can manage to function without, the tailbone is a critical structural element. To call it vestigial means the person lacks an understanding of anatomy.

People are making the same silly comments about sections of our DNA code. We have recently begun to understand the purpose of several major sections of the DNA, but this has led some to claim that the sections we haven't yet figured out are vestigial. It is a false conclusion. Some sections have already been noted as having switching purposes (such as in timing development). Of course, they are not currently active in adults, but it doesn't mean they are unneeded.