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.

[cacoethes_resipisco]

I suppose one could argue "code reuse", but the bits and bytes seem rather arbitrarily chosen, don't they?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Interesting.

[mamelukesabre]

I was dissapointed. I was expecting to see a list of anatomical changes that appear to be new within the last 2 or 3 thousand years. The dissapearance of wisdom teeth in some people would be a perfect example.

[cacoethes_resipisco]

> I was dissapointed. I was expecting to see a list of
> anatomical changes that appear to be new within the last
> 2 or 3 thousand years.

Wisdom teeth, Darwin’s point, and the Plantaris muscle all made the list, and they would all seem to be just that kind of change.

[GodGunsGuts]

Creationist answers Top 10 Signs of Evolution in Modern Man point-for-point.

http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5811/

[mysterio]

The dissapearance of wisdom teeth in some people would be a perfect example.

Early humans ate a lot of plants - and they needed to eat them quickly enough that they could eat a sufficient amount in one day to get all of the nutrients they needed. For this reason, we had an extra set of molars to make the larger mouth more productive. This was particularly essential as the body lacked the ability to sufficiently digest cellulose. As evolution made its selections, our diets changed, our jaws grew appropriately smaller, and our third molars became unnecessary. Some human populations have now all but completely stopped growing wisdom teeth, while others have almost 100% likelihood of developing them.

[mysterio]

Good read, thanks for posting.

[mamelukesabre]

How is darwin’s point and the plantaris muscle an example?

Anyway, I was hoping for a bigger list.

[DevNet]

“Even if this were true, it provides no support for evolution because evolution requires new structures to arise naturalistically. Rather, loss of teeth is just another example of degeneration, which fits perfectly within the biblical worldview of Creation and Fall.”

Why do they have trouble telling the truth?

[GodGunsGuts]

What is the truth of the matter as you see it?

[cacoethes_resipisco]

> How is darwin’s point and the plantaris muscle an example?

The plantaris muscle no longer exists in 9% of humans. Darwin’s point is missing in 90%. Both exist at 100% in all our nearest relations, so they’ve been more or less slowly breeding out of the human population as we no longer need/use them. The extrinsic ear muscles, that are only able to slightly wiggle the ears, and that only in a subset of humans, would be another fine example.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

A couple of these could be in error. Recent hypotheses are that the appendix performs the useful service of being a reservoir of the intestinal flora essential to digestion. Since food poisoning and other bowel problems are common in the wild, this could have been vital in maximizing food nutrition.

And recent discoveries are also casting into doubt the label of “junk DNA”, which may not be so useless after all, but perform critical protein control functions.

[Jessarah]

bump for later reading

[dr_lew]

One I read of is the attachment of the gut to the back surface of the abdominal cavity, in common with quadrupeds, for whom it makes sense. For us, according to the source, it is a liability, and leads to complications in senescence.

[cacoethes_resipisco]

> And recent discoveries are also casting into doubt the
> label of “junk DNA”, which may not be so useless after
> all, but perform critical protein control functions.

I wouldn’t be surprised if large sections of the genome currently considered “junk” didn’t have some usefulness. There are some bits, though, like the broken piece that used to allow our ancestors to synthesize vitamin C, that probably deserve the label “junk”.

[count-your-change]

Eight percent of men are color blind so doesn’t that prove color sight is being lost like the plantaris?

[mamelukesabre]

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

Not millions.

Human teeth are changing just in the last 10 or 20 generations. that’s 3 to 5 hundred years. Get it?

tHere’s no indication that the percent retaining darwin’s point has declined IN THE SLIGHTEST in the last couple thousand years. At least not in this article. ditto for the leg muscle.

[GodGunsGuts]

I’m not to familiar with the plantaris muscle, other than it is considered “vestigal.”

[cacoethes_resipisco]

> Creationist answers Top 10 Signs of Evolution in Modern
> Man point-for-point.

So what you’re saying is that the original, higher, perfect man had an elongated jaw, fully mobile, upright ears, and prehensile feet?

[count-your-change]

From :
“Discover” And Here’s Why You Have an Appendix:
When you’re sick, it re-boots your gut with good bacteria.
by Josie Glausiusz
published online January 15, 2008:

“......it acts as a reservoir of healthy, protective bacteria that can replenish the intestine after a bacteria-depleting diarrheal illness like cholera.....”

Makes sense for humans to have one too it seems.