My Darwin's Point

While on the subject of Darwin (see previous post), why don't we dig a little deeper, get a little more personal and ask, "what does that nook on your ear really do?"

Or, "why do I have extra teeth coming in that the dentist says I don't need?" And, "how do I benefit from making my arm hair stand on end?"

Surely these are thoughts all of us have had at some point when thinking about ourselves in the evolutionary scheme of things. And while some of us seem more closely related to primitive apes than others (you know who you are), all of us may just have an evolutionary crime scene  right inside us!

You've likely heard that the appendix is good for nothing - except for getting inflamed and thereby being removed. And you likely think I'm going to cite this as the first in a list of vestigial organs. But I'm not. I mention it as a red herring.

Some scientists now think the appendix does have a valid use today as a reservoir of beneficial bacteria, ever ready to refill your intestines after the unexpected "flushing" of the bowels. (Red herring aside, I just wanted to say "flushing" of the bowels. I love puns!)

A vestigial organ is a body part that once had a function but is now the equivalent of wings on an ostrich. Darwin pointed to these as the foundation of his theory on evolution - organs once necessary for survival but now completely useless.

Here is a by-no-means-exhaustive list of believed vestigial organs.

Goose Bumps

While technically more of a reflex than an anatomical structure, goose bumps still qualify. Goose bumps/pimples/flesh (watch for a future poll) occur when the tiny muscle at the base of the hair follicle contracts, causing the hair to stand straight.

Perhaps you recognize this reflex from your pet keets keets (get it? Parakeets - pair of keets). Feathered animals do this to create a layer of insulating warm air in cold weather, or to puff up the feather in self defense.

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are common among primates - and dentists don't need to take theirs out. It is believed that our mouths get overcrowded because the homo sapiens' body size rapidly downsized.  And that our diets don't wear out our teeth nearly as bad as before. Too much Jell-O.

Tail Bone (coccyx)

Did you know that there have been over 100 babies born with with tails? Believed to originally have been a vestige of the mammalian tail, the coccyx now anchors your anus in place. So this is a case of an organ changing functions from the outdated to the very helpful.

Not only that, the coccyx usually is formed of four fused vertebrae - but not always. It is very common to find the coccyx with three to five vertebrae.

Darwin's Point

My mother used to cite a node on my ear as proof that I am her child. It now appears that the very feature she shares with me, we both share with our uncle monkey.

The Darwin's point is thought to be the vestige of a joint that allowed the top part of the ancestral ear to swivel or flop down over the ear.

If you are interested in pursuing a further study of vestigial organs, both in man and beast, you may want to consider the vomeronasal organ, hind leg bones in whales, men's nipples, or the blind fish Astyanax mexicanus.  All make for a very interesting read.

Conclusion

It is our joint personal belief that God and evolution are not mutually exclusive, but that the latter is a tool of the Former. Both body and spirit are vital to Man's eternal existence. But where the immutable spirit was born of God, the body is after His image. Therefore, we believe it is possible that God employed natural means to arrive at the form of Man, but not the culmination of Man, which is spirit and body.