1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey everybody, welcome to Stuff to Blow 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: your Mind. I'm Robert Lamb and I'm Julie Douglas. And 4 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 1: tell me, Julie, do you have a lot of stuff 5 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: in your house? Would you say you were a hoarder? Mm? 6 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:26,440 Speaker 1: I don't know that I would say that I'm a hoarder. 7 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: But I do surprise myself when I opened the closets 8 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: and I think, oh my god, what is what is 9 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: all that stuff? Yeah, because it's like, you know, I mean, 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: I don't feel like I'm that bad either. Um My 11 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 1: wife is a very good influence on me because she'll 12 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 1: throw things away at the drop of a hat, you know, yeah, definitely, 13 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: and uh and so that that cuts down in the clutter. 14 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: But still it's easy to be like, oh, I got 15 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: a new phone, I should keep this old phone because 16 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: who knows the new one could break. I might need 17 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: to fall back on this one, or you know, they'll 18 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: they'll be like, oh, I don't have time for this 19 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: hobby anymore, but maybe I will someday. So I should 20 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: just I shouldn't throw it away or sell it or 21 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: give it away. I should just put in the attic 22 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: for a little while. Yeah, yeah, that's how I feel 23 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: at my thigh master. I might use that one day 24 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:13,120 Speaker 1: as a weapon or yes, definitely as a weapon. You 25 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:14,680 Speaker 1: never know, it could be I think it could be 26 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: retrofitting look into a small um you know, caliber catapult, 27 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 1: you know. Yeah, that's what I was thinking, some sort 28 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: of sling device. Yeah, yeah, but again it's a slippery 29 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: slope before you know it. It's like the the house 30 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: that that that I'm that we're in now that I 31 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: my wife and I bought that. When we first got 32 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: it was just loaded with stuff like three Christmas trees 33 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: in the attic, that kind of thing, you know, because 34 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: the whole mindset can just go crazy. But what's interesting 35 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 1: is that when you look to uh nature, when you 36 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: look to evolution, you see a similar kind of hoarding 37 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: going on, or maybe not outright hoarding, but definitely hanging 38 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: on to things that that there's not really a use 39 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: for it anymore. A genetic hoarding, yeah, genetic and even 40 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: like just physiological hoarding. We're of course talking about vestigiality, um, 41 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: the occurrence of this vestigial organs, vestigial limbs, vestigial body parts, uh, 42 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 1: in all animals, but particularly in humans. Okay, And so 43 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: I'm thinking right off the bat, like I've heard about 44 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: whales with hip bones or leg bones. Yeah. Yeah, you 45 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: look at like a skeleton of a whale, and you know, 46 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: the head is very very pronounced. You know, all the 47 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: skeletal system is clearly really important, except for this like 48 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: a little pelvic area and these little like the remnants 49 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,519 Speaker 1: of hind legs that just haven't been used in forever. 50 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: But it's if the it's as if the whale's body 51 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: on some like kind a very basic level, is like, well, 52 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: who knows, we might need to grow those legs out someday, 53 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: we might go back to land. We've done it before, 54 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: so we'll just we'll just keep this much around. Huh. 55 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: So it's sort of a law of probability thing going 56 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:02,239 Speaker 1: on in nature. Yeah. That's the thing that keeps coming 57 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: back to me, is is we were looking at I mean, 58 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: on one hand, these are souvenirs of an evolutionary past. 59 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,239 Speaker 1: You know, they're their pieces that no longer serve either 60 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:13,119 Speaker 1: they don't serve a purpose anymore, or they don't serve 61 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: the purpose they were intended for. But there's and there's 62 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 1: and there's also a sense that evolution is kind of lazy, 63 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: that it's not going to you know, it's not gonna 64 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: fix anything that's not broken. Uh. But it also it 65 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: doesn't just throw something out in the same way that 66 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 1: like an animal doesn't say, just suddenly grow an entirely 67 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: new limb for some new purpose. You know it. You 68 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: know it's ay, a small badger animal at some point 69 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: in the you know, the primeval past needed to get 70 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: inside a log to eat a grub. It wouldn't like 71 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: grow like a fifth um grub grabbing instrument, you know 72 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: it would it would like develop like a tongue that 73 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: could reach in or nails that could could dig into 74 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: the trunk. You know. It works with what it has. 75 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: And and so it's like a similar the to ularity 76 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: is is like a similar thing in reverse, it seems 77 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: where um where it's like you don't if you don't 78 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: need hind legs anymore, you don't just completely get rid 79 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 1: of all the bones. You just sort of retract, you 80 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 1: downsize that portion, but you didn't not to the point 81 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,479 Speaker 1: where you can't come back, okay. And so atavisms, which 82 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: are really closely related to the vestigial organs and traits 83 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 1: I think are pretty fascinating too, and they're a little 84 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 1: bit different in that, Uh, an atavism is is basically 85 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,280 Speaker 1: a trait from like a distant, distant evolutionary ancestor. We're 86 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: not talking about you know, you're a great great grandfather. 87 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: We're talking like fifty years ago. Where um, that particular 88 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: piece of DNA gets expressed again. And the thing that 89 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: comes straight to mind the difference I guess between the 90 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: vestigial and atavistic our babies that are born with tails, 91 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: which is so crazy in the first place, Yes, actually happens. 92 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: It's not just a nationally fire headline. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, 93 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: it's not that boy with the tail. Um. So if 94 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: you think about turkeys, which are flightless birds, and you 95 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 1: see their wings, uh, those are of a stigial right, yes, 96 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: because they're sort of imperfect versions of what they might 97 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: have had when they were taking flight. Right. The ostrich 98 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: is another example of that. Yeah. Yeah, And so if 99 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 1: you look at a baby born with a tail, that's 100 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 1: just sort of more of a evolutionary oddity. But yeah, 101 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: and and kind of but kind of like as if 102 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:33,719 Speaker 1: suddenly like there was a turkey that had like of 103 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: all the turkeys, like, suddenly there's a turkey that has 104 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: like maybe larger wings. Kind of a deal because because 105 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 1: it's not like the baby's growing a tail for balance 106 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: but in it but in a prior evolutionary form, it 107 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: would have needed a tail for balance. Yeah, yeah, exactly, 108 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:52,720 Speaker 1: like perhaps there are prehensile um it was a prehensile 109 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:55,599 Speaker 1: tail that you could use to wrap around a tree 110 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: limb to support yourself. Even so, I mean, they're there 111 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: are different ways that a tail could have been used 112 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:05,040 Speaker 1: in evolution. But every once in a while there the 113 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,600 Speaker 1: ghosts just kind of like there's an on off switch 114 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,960 Speaker 1: with a dimmer in our genes, and over the years, 115 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: you know, the evolutionary force decided, hey, we don't really 116 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: need this tale anymore. Let's dim that down to the 117 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 1: bare minimum. And uh, but then every now and then 118 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:22,920 Speaker 1: that the dimmer switch gets brought up just a little bit, right, 119 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:25,359 Speaker 1: And if you are unlucky enough to be born in 120 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: the ninth century with a tale, well it just wouldn't 121 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 1: have been good news for you. By the way, I 122 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:33,479 Speaker 1: just wanted to point that out. Your mother would have 123 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:36,920 Speaker 1: been branded a witch and you would both been disposed 124 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:41,159 Speaker 1: of because obviously a tale uh looks as though it's 125 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: something from the dark arts or from the beast. There's 126 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 1: some sort of a changeling left in the crib exactly. 127 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: So that's that's one of the really interesting things about 128 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: the sigil and ottavistic traits. I just don't behave the 129 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:57,760 Speaker 1: way that you think they're going to. Yeah, now, a 130 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:00,279 Speaker 1: lot of this, uh, it really comes out of the 131 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: work of Charles Darwin. I mean not the actual traits 132 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: and the actual appearance of things like tales et cetera. 133 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:11,040 Speaker 1: But but but our understanding of what these things are 134 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: comes from from his one book, that is Sin of Man. 135 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: And in this he identified about a dozen different anatomical 136 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 1: features that he thought were useless, uh and that we 137 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: don't use them the same way that other creatures do. 138 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: So um. For Darwin, this is this was also proved 139 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 1: that we we evolved from a primitive ancestors from primitive ancestors. Um. 140 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: And it's interesting. There's another guy that came after Darwin 141 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: who like like he really took on, took hold of 142 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: this idea and ran with And his name was Robert 143 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: of Widersham and uh he was an anatomist, this is, 144 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: and he put together a list that had like ninety 145 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 1: different things on it, which which I find just amazing. Um. 146 00:07:57,200 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 1: And and not to say that this was not a 147 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:01,240 Speaker 1: very learned guy. This guy was pretty This was a 148 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 1: very bright guy. He was he was on the cutting 149 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: edge of science, reported to note UM and he and 150 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: he was just he was he was just very well, 151 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: he was just a little ambitious maybe and just a 152 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 1: little too eager to classify things. Uh. So you see 153 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: this mentioned a lot, especially by people who want to 154 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: UM want to defend say creationism against UM against evolution, 155 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: because like people who are are proponents of evolutionary theory 156 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: will often point out um the stigio, organs and limbs 157 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 1: as as proof that that we've evolved and there's not 158 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: some sort of divine forced dictating what a body looks like. Uh, 159 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: but they'll they'll but a creationists will sometimes throw this back, 160 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 1: like if you do a search for this guy's name 161 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: on on the internet, you'll find pretty much nothing but 162 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 1: but like random blog entries or message board posts attacking evolution. 163 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,320 Speaker 1: So what was the sort of the meat of his 164 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 1: uh theory or the Well, well, that's the thing, the 165 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:09,200 Speaker 1: important something that's not really mentioned any of these lists 166 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:12,679 Speaker 1: is that the list itself is pretty particular. I mean, 167 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 1: there's some like glaring things where he was like, people 168 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: don't need three toes, the three in toes, like the 169 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: pinky toe, and then the other two I forget which 170 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 1: pigs those are, so the piggy that ate and the 171 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: one that didn't and then the one that went. We 172 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:27,680 Speaker 1: we all the way home. Yeah, he was like, we 173 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:30,200 Speaker 1: don't need those guys. But it was the other stuff, 174 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: like there's like there's the lumbar lit rib. A lot 175 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:36,240 Speaker 1: of things on this list are kind of in medical 176 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 1: ease and I'm not really sure what they are, to 177 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: be honest, but but it but it was very particular, 178 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:44,840 Speaker 1: and uh, and they were all things that he he 179 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: said that they don't actually have a function in the body, 180 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 1: and therefore they're just remnants of evolutionary past. Of course, 181 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 1: over time we looked at it at more detail and 182 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 1: we realized, oh, wait, well we actually do need this. 183 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:59,840 Speaker 1: This does serve a purpose. And I imagine anybody that's 184 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 1: missing three toes on each foot would probably be able 185 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: to tell you that it's it's not ideal. No, no, 186 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:09,080 Speaker 1: particularly in heels so let's let's go through some of these. Uh. 187 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:11,160 Speaker 1: These are the more common one because because the list 188 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 1: is not ninety strong anymore, it's uh, they're really only 189 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: a handful of really good examples, and and even some 190 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: of those as we'll discuss. Um. You can go back 191 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 1: and forth on So, um, wisdom teeth do you do? 192 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,439 Speaker 1: You have them? Yes? I well no I have one. 193 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: Three have been extracted, and of course, like anyone, they 194 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:34,079 Speaker 1: are the ben of my existence. Um. And the interesting 195 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: thing about wisdom teeth, I think is the moniker and 196 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 1: it is so called wisdom teeth because they usually emerge 197 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:44,679 Speaker 1: between the ages of seventeen and twenty five, which I 198 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,839 Speaker 1: think back in the day was thought to be when 199 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: you had gained a good amount of knowledge and you'd 200 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: become wise. Of course, we know otherwise that the brain 201 00:10:54,440 --> 00:11:00,320 Speaker 1: itself isn't even fully developed tell aged. But but I digress. Um, 202 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: So wisdom teeth. There are a couple of different schools 203 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 1: of thought on this, um why they're vestigial now. One 204 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 1: is hygiene. Um, if you were living twenty thousand years ago, 205 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 1: you certainly weren't brushing your teeth twice a day, and 206 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:19,280 Speaker 1: particularly not with floride. So, um, you're probably missing a 207 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:20,920 Speaker 1: good amount of your teeth by the time that you 208 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:25,080 Speaker 1: turned eighteen, which is probably I don't know about half 209 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 1: of your lifespan anyway. So if you're really helpful, if 210 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,360 Speaker 1: you've got some wisdom teeth in kind of got an 211 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,599 Speaker 1: upgrade your chompers. So that's one theory. Wow. So that 212 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: so basically by the time your wisdom teeth came in, uh, 213 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: some of your other teeth would be ready to go. 214 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:41,280 Speaker 1: Like this is kind of like the second row of 215 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 1: sharp teeth exactly right, right you are? You are wise 216 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:48,560 Speaker 1: and toothless at this point and getting on in years, 217 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:50,720 Speaker 1: I guess, so looking like you know, if you're considering 218 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,720 Speaker 1: just like ancient ancient man, right right, I mean, how 219 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: else are you going to be able to eat your 220 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,040 Speaker 1: tiger meat? So you've got to You've got to get 221 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: you've got to have something there in the wings. Um. 222 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:05,360 Speaker 1: The second school of thought is that as we evolve, 223 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 1: that our jaws have actually gotten a lot smaller. So 224 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:11,560 Speaker 1: it's pretty simple. There was some teeth are getting crowded 225 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 1: out their extraneous Uh they're a pain in the butt. Uh, 226 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 1: they're unpleasant and they must be removed. Oh good, right, well, 227 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:24,400 Speaker 1: I probably will have to remove mine eventually or have 228 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:29,240 Speaker 1: them removed professionally rather um, because mine are generally rather quiet. 229 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:31,840 Speaker 1: But then occasionally they'll just be really painful for like 230 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:34,560 Speaker 1: a week. Yeah, they seem to do some sort of 231 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: flare up, some sort of like evolutionary like hey remember me. Well. 232 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:43,680 Speaker 1: Another example is is body hair. H This is a 233 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:46,439 Speaker 1: This one's rather obvious when you when you look at it. Um, 234 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 1: you know, a good head of hair can help maintain 235 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:54,199 Speaker 1: cranial temperatures um and you know up. But obviously it's 236 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:57,640 Speaker 1: not mandatory, as any bald person will be able to 237 00:12:57,679 --> 00:12:59,480 Speaker 1: tell you, or you know, just somebody who likes to 238 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:02,440 Speaker 1: shave their head. But but body hair used to be 239 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 1: very important back in like, you know, way prehistoric days 240 00:13:07,559 --> 00:13:10,319 Speaker 1: when when we were just you know, just naked creatures 241 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 1: wandering a a frigid landscape. We depended on really furry 242 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:18,240 Speaker 1: bodies to maintain temperature. But of course, over time we 243 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: wandered into areas that didn't that they weren't as cold, 244 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 1: We went into warmer climates, We developed the ability to 245 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: sweat and um and uh, and eventually we figured out 246 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: how to make clothes and you know to mansions and 247 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:36,160 Speaker 1: building mansions. Yeah, so so you have body hair is 248 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 1: is is a great example of something that we we 249 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: really do not need a lot of people get rid 250 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:44,560 Speaker 1: of it through one or regularly purge themselves of it. Uh. 251 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:49,320 Speaker 1: And it's just you know, an evolutionary trait from from 252 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: the old days. M hm. And yet it was so 253 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:56,079 Speaker 1: nice to have a stylish head of hair. Yeah, well 254 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,000 Speaker 1: I'm thinking like back to sort of evolution, never throwing 255 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:01,480 Speaker 1: something out just in case it needs it again. It's 256 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 1: it's kind of an example of of where where they're saying, hey, 257 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 1: you may have sweaters and make mansions today, but what 258 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: about next year? What about a hundred years from now 259 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:13,559 Speaker 1: might get pretty cold? Yeah that nuclear winter, Yeah, there 260 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 1: might be another ice stage coming. It's like, don't you know. 261 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:18,080 Speaker 1: It's like, I know all you humans want to be 262 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 1: like nice, pink and hairless, but you know, just calm down. 263 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:23,360 Speaker 1: You might need it to get that's right, saying hey, 264 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 1: I'm in here for the long haul. Yeah, yeah, I'm 265 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 1: keeping it something to think about. Yeah, I don't know 266 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: about wisdom teeth though, like if if it is if 267 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: it's like actually the jaw has has shrunk like I 268 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 1: can't imagine that there being a case where I know, 269 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: maybe there it is where are eventually our jaw would 270 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 1: get bigger, or it's like nature's way of saying, hey, 271 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 1: you can brush your teeth every day and lift till 272 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: eighty now, but you know, call me in a hundred 273 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:49,840 Speaker 1: years and see if that's the case. Yeah, it's it's possible. 274 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,240 Speaker 1: I do think there's a logic behind it. And um, 275 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:55,680 Speaker 1: I think another one of these traits, which I don't 276 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 1: know if it would come back or not, we will 277 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: have to think about that is called Darwin's point, and 278 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 1: it's also known as Darwin's tuber cole. And it's basically 279 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 1: a small thick nodule on the upper ear lobe that 280 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:10,200 Speaker 1: we think was meant to help focus sounds so kind 281 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:13,840 Speaker 1: of hone in, so it's essentially a little fleshy antenna. 282 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 1: I'm having a hard time picturing it since we're both 283 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 1: wearing headphones. Well now I now want to peel back 284 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: your headphone and see if you have it. Um, but 285 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,800 Speaker 1: it's actually in some and some people looks kind of pronounced. 286 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 1: It looks like a little elfin, like a little elfin 287 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: ear bumps it's actually kind of cute. Um. But not 288 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: everybody has this. This isn't more like an atavistic trait. Um. 289 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:38,320 Speaker 1: So in some populations it only shows up like ten 290 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 1: percent of the time and others fifty percent of the time. 291 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,080 Speaker 1: Just sort of depends on where you live, what your 292 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: genetics are, and so on and so forth. Um. But again, 293 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:51,280 Speaker 1: you know, maybe in the future we will need some 294 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 1: little antenna device to help us with sound. You never know. Yeah, 295 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:56,880 Speaker 1: or it's kind of a case where it's like you're 296 00:15:56,920 --> 00:16:00,240 Speaker 1: not using it, but hey, it's not like it's inconveniencing us. Though. 297 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 1: Mature is kind of like like, you know, don't freak out. 298 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: We're just gonna keep this around and gains you need it. 299 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 1: It's not like you're tripping over it. No, if you 300 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: can dress it up for Halloween, make it even more pronounced. 301 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 1: This presentation is brought to you by Intel Sponsors of Tomorrow. Now, 302 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:26,240 Speaker 1: another interesting the studio trait is the volmer and nasal 303 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:31,600 Speaker 1: organ which, yeah, and this is a structure in the 304 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:35,680 Speaker 1: nose that would ideally be used to detect pheromones emitted 305 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:39,880 Speaker 1: by potential mates. Uh in humans though uh, this you know, 306 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:42,440 Speaker 1: like cats and dogs are big on this and various 307 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 1: other animals um, which is why I actually have a 308 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: little spray can of cat pheromone to use just on 309 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,280 Speaker 1: your desk. I just want to want cats attacking me 310 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 1: and coming to lay in all over me. UM no 311 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:57,960 Speaker 1: to keep to to try and keep ours from up 312 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 1: from urinating where it's not supposed to um, which we're 313 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: not sure she does, but just in case. Cat pheromones 314 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:05,680 Speaker 1: and spray form. Yeah, it's good to have around. Yeah. 315 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 1: I did get myself in the face with it one 316 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:09,640 Speaker 1: day because with spraying it on event and I didn't 317 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 1: realize the event was on, and so it's like three 318 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:14,679 Speaker 1: squirts of cat pheromone and then right back up in 319 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:18,600 Speaker 1: my face. So I was followed all day. But yeah, yeah, 320 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: your eyeball was licked a lot. Yeah, they're scratchy tongue, 321 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:26,240 Speaker 1: so weird on the eyeball. But but no so in 322 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:29,960 Speaker 1: humans though, uh, it doesn't even appear to be connected 323 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,399 Speaker 1: to the brain in any way. The vomber and nasal 324 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:35,120 Speaker 1: organ it's like it's not even plugged in. It's it's 325 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:37,199 Speaker 1: like the if you have a toaster of in your 326 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:40,520 Speaker 1: kitchen and you haven't used it in in ages. It's 327 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 1: not even plugged in, but it's taken up counterspace. So 328 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:44,920 Speaker 1: if it were plugged in, does not mean we would 329 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 1: all be sniffing each other. Maybe maybe I don't know. 330 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:52,720 Speaker 1: I just sorry I had to ask. Um, let's let's 331 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 1: hope it doesn't turn on. It would be it would 332 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,040 Speaker 1: certainly change the culture a bit. It would be awkward. 333 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 1: So apparently embryos, embryonic humans actually developed this organ um 334 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:07,360 Speaker 1: and it's and and at one point in their development 335 00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:11,359 Speaker 1: it's it's it's very much like the vombarnasal organs and 336 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:16,440 Speaker 1: other animals. But then it displaces and and it's pretty 337 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,000 Speaker 1: much just sort of set aside for the remainder like 338 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 1: so so we always end up keeping it. It's all, 339 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,840 Speaker 1: it's there, but it's just never plugged in. Do you 340 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:26,679 Speaker 1: mind if I talk about nipples? Go for it? Okay? 341 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 1: So male nipples, I mean we you know, the question 342 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:31,439 Speaker 1: always comes up every once in a while. Yeah, what 343 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:35,399 Speaker 1: are they for? Why? I just wanted to say, I 344 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 1: hope you know this doesn't get too sensitive, but it's 345 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: it's completely normal. And um, the short answer of the 346 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 1: reason why men have nipples is because women do, and actually, 347 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 1: in other non humans. This is true as well. Was 348 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 1: this is a fallback in the idea that the female 349 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:58,240 Speaker 1: is actually the the is actually the species, and the 350 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: male is just a mutation all the species necessary for approcreation. 351 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:05,159 Speaker 1: I'd like to think so, but actually this has to 352 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:10,159 Speaker 1: do with nature sort of again law probability, sort of 353 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:13,600 Speaker 1: creating this in both males and females. Uh So, it's 354 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,160 Speaker 1: it's called genetic correlation, and it really is a game 355 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 1: of probability. So even though sex is determined at the 356 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:25,040 Speaker 1: time of fertilization, the gonads actually don't turn into testes 357 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:28,480 Speaker 1: or into ovaries until the seventh week, and they don't 358 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 1: expressing the they don't start expressing the gender until them. Yeah, 359 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 1: so just think it's just just in case scenario. So 360 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:37,800 Speaker 1: it's kind of like if you have a I don't 361 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:39,199 Speaker 1: know if they do this anymore, but you do. It's 362 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:41,520 Speaker 1: like if you if you if you purchase an automobile 363 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:46,159 Speaker 1: that didn't have like a cigarette ashtray, like sometimes there 364 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 1: would be you could see the space where it would be. Yes, 365 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 1: So it's like the default car body um or or 366 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:54,919 Speaker 1: just like interior body or shell or whatever had the 367 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,679 Speaker 1: place for it, just in case it was there right exactly, 368 00:19:57,800 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 1: So just in case nature was like, you know what, 369 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:02,119 Speaker 1: this is a gamble here, Well, we'll go ahead and 370 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:06,560 Speaker 1: give nipples to everybody. All mammals, they get them. Um. 371 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 1: And you might have actually even heard of something called 372 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:14,760 Speaker 1: witch's milk um, and this is actually produced in newborn infants. Yeah, 373 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:16,800 Speaker 1: and people kind of get freaked out about that because 374 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: I think, whoa, my why why is my son lactating? 375 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:22,240 Speaker 1: WHOA like a baby will lactate? Yeah, yeah, it's it's rare. 376 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:26,399 Speaker 1: I didn't I knew about men lactating, of course, but 377 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,159 Speaker 1: but babies, which is milk? Yeah, which is milk. But 378 00:20:29,359 --> 00:20:34,600 Speaker 1: the reason is because they're they're brush actually stimulated when 379 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: they're in their mother's womb because the mother's hormones are 380 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,560 Speaker 1: crossing the placenta. So they basically kind of they come 381 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:43,840 Speaker 1: out and they still have some of those hormones in 382 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:46,960 Speaker 1: their system and they start lactating. So if this happens, 383 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 1: it's it's actually not abnormal. It's fine. Wow. Yeah. So 384 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:54,240 Speaker 1: if you were if you happen to have been born 385 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,920 Speaker 1: in ye olden times as a baby with the tail lactating, 386 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:02,160 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, yeah, you were toast. Yeah, it just wasn't 387 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:08,800 Speaker 1: looking good for you or your mom. So what there's 388 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:10,840 Speaker 1: a debate here. So there are some people who say 389 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:15,639 Speaker 1: that actually that the nipples aren't vestigial because it's more like, 390 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:19,960 Speaker 1: you know, again that game of probability. Um, they would 391 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:22,840 Speaker 1: be active if you are a female um or at 392 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:28,480 Speaker 1: least actively lactating. Right. Um, So let's talk about a 393 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:32,359 Speaker 1: little bit like the like what is vestigial, what's not vestigial? 394 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:34,639 Speaker 1: Some things that are up in the air. Yeah, because 395 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:38,320 Speaker 1: it's um, you know, it's it's it's like, like we said, 396 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:40,600 Speaker 1: some of these things are are just in a process 397 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:43,800 Speaker 1: of maybe being phased out for the time being, and 398 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 1: uh and someone in they're also cases's kind of like 399 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:49,359 Speaker 1: that list of ninety odd things. Um, you know, we 400 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:51,280 Speaker 1: came back around to some of those and said, well wait, 401 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:53,439 Speaker 1: actually you do need this. Actually this does have a 402 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: purpose toes are helpful, right, So um so yeah, so 403 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: some of the the the items that we have considered 404 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:03,080 Speaker 1: vestigio in the past, us some scientists are saying, well, 405 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 1: hold on, you know, I think that I think it 406 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,359 Speaker 1: might actually have this this purpose during you know, this 407 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 1: particular situation. So uh so, yeah, we're actually gonna come 408 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:14,359 Speaker 1: to two of the biggest uh, and the first of 409 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:20,119 Speaker 1: which is the just the superstar of vestigial organs, the appendix. 410 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: That's right, it's uh. It's something that in humans is 411 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:29,639 Speaker 1: sometimes reviled only because appendecontomies, right, and I know we 412 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:33,600 Speaker 1: have performed something like three thousand of them a year. Um. 413 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:37,480 Speaker 1: But in small plant eating vertebrates, the appendix is actually 414 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:40,879 Speaker 1: pretty large and it helps to digest food. Um. If 415 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,000 Speaker 1: you look at humans, it's just kind of a small, 416 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:45,400 Speaker 1: lonely pouch and it's hanging out next to the large 417 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 1: intestine in the small intestine and then sometimes needs to 418 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:53,120 Speaker 1: be removed. And it's yeah, exactly, that's the appendicitis uh so. 419 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 1: But the thing is is that it's it's a sort 420 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:58,880 Speaker 1: of a third wheel to digestion. It doesn't do anything 421 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 1: thought is that like the plant eating vertebrates, at one 422 00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:07,639 Speaker 1: point it did actually break down food and aid in digestion. 423 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 1: So that's what we know about it. Um. Yeah, countless 424 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,120 Speaker 1: people have this. Do you have yours? I do have mine, 425 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:17,600 Speaker 1: like in your body or not? In a jar? R? No? No, 426 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:20,879 Speaker 1: not not yet. Yeah, I have mine still inside me 427 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 1: inside me. Okay, but um, but yeah, that's it's like 428 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:29,400 Speaker 1: like millions of people have this removed, and everybody goes 429 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: on just fine. Nobody's like, oh I wish I hadn't 430 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 1: had that that appendix right exactly. So a lot of 431 00:23:34,359 --> 00:23:36,160 Speaker 1: people have thought, Okay, well, it must be the sigila 432 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:40,760 Speaker 1: has absolutely no purpose. And yet uh there's a growing 433 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:44,680 Speaker 1: debate on this, and some people have have pointed out 434 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,160 Speaker 1: that well, first of all, when that appendix is still 435 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 1: in your body, it is a producer of white blood 436 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 1: cells and anybody. So it's it's not just necessarily along 437 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:55,879 Speaker 1: for the ride. It may not be be meeting the 438 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:58,680 Speaker 1: same purpose that it was originally there for, but it's 439 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 1: it's still doing something. Um. Of course it could still 440 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 1: be considered vestigial given that. But then then there's also 441 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 1: this um where it really gets interesting is the idea 442 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:13,119 Speaker 1: that the appendix UH can repopulate the gut with microbes 443 00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:16,119 Speaker 1: needed to stave off infection. And where where this is 444 00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:20,679 Speaker 1: key it comes down satellite to the topic of diarrhea 445 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: and dysentery. In the developed world. If you first of all, 446 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 1: you're probably less likely to get some strains of dysentery 447 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 1: and diarrhea. And then when you do you can go 448 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: to your doctor or you can go to your drug 449 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,840 Speaker 1: store and get something to deal with it. Um in 450 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: you know, in the in the past, and indeed still 451 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,760 Speaker 1: in many parts of the world. That's those options aren't 452 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:47,760 Speaker 1: necessarily on the table or as readily available. And so 453 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 1: there's this, uh, this belief. To really understand the appendix role, 454 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:54,880 Speaker 1: we need to be able to to look at at 455 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: developing countries and uh and look at because we we 456 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:00,119 Speaker 1: have the facts on its removal and that have all 457 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: the world, we can say like millions of people haven't 458 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 1: done every day no problem. But but but they say, 459 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,280 Speaker 1: we really need to look at people in the developing world, um, 460 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,200 Speaker 1: you know, like portions of war torn Africa, et cetera, 461 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: and see if there are people there with appendix removed, 462 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:19,440 Speaker 1: how they would fare given their conditions. Okay, so their 463 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:22,400 Speaker 1: exposure to many more diseases and so on and so forth. Right, 464 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:24,879 Speaker 1: so in this case, it would be this would be 465 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 1: an organ that that would be vestigial to some but 466 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,159 Speaker 1: not to others. And uh, and again it's kind of 467 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:32,879 Speaker 1: like nature saying, hey, you have you know, you have 468 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:35,280 Speaker 1: a ride a down the road now and clean drinking 469 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: water in your house, but you know, a hundred years 470 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:40,200 Speaker 1: from now, maybe not, and then you're gonna come run 471 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,400 Speaker 1: into me. The appendix want me to pump you full 472 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:47,600 Speaker 1: of um microbes to stave off you're a dysentery. And 473 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:50,680 Speaker 1: if you're lucky and I haven't burst, I will help you. 474 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:56,600 Speaker 1: That's what I imagined the appendix to say that. Yeah. 475 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:01,600 Speaker 1: Uh another vestigial Uh. I guess you would say trait 476 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:05,880 Speaker 1: or structure in this case would be the tailbone. Yeah, yeah, 477 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: the cockax cossacks, Okay, I always get that, and the 478 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: the frozen lake can Dante's Inferno? Confused? What is that called? 479 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:20,359 Speaker 1: I don't know, Quick, Quick, I don't know. I can't 480 00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:23,200 Speaker 1: say it either. You're the one that knows Italian, don't Yeah, 481 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:25,440 Speaker 1: but that doesn't know that. I that doesn't mean that 482 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: I know the first will check into it, all right. 483 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:31,000 Speaker 1: It's on the tip of my tongue. I can picture 484 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:35,879 Speaker 1: the word in my head. But but anyway, the we 485 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:38,000 Speaker 1: we mentioned some of this earlier about the growth of 486 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:42,119 Speaker 1: a tail that will happen occasionally, and so the tailbone 487 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:43,960 Speaker 1: is is kind of the same deal. What does it 488 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: really do for us a side occasionally getting broken if 489 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:50,960 Speaker 1: you fall in your butt hard enough. Um, maybe not 490 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,760 Speaker 1: all that much. Ah, there's I mean the whole idea 491 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:57,320 Speaker 1: is these are smaller and smaller vertebrae leading up to 492 00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,320 Speaker 1: the tail that isn't even there, right, So it's kind 493 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 1: of a evolutionary road to nowhere, you know. Yeah, but 494 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:06,760 Speaker 1: there are some people who say that cossacks it's it's 495 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:11,439 Speaker 1: helps to anchor minor muscles and helps support pelvic organs. 496 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:15,000 Speaker 1: And they say that, you know, there's there's some evidence, 497 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:16,800 Speaker 1: but it's kind of weak evidence, I have to say, 498 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:20,000 Speaker 1: because you can have the cossacks removed or excuse me, 499 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:24,040 Speaker 1: the tailbone, and uh, you can have a little or 500 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:27,119 Speaker 1: no adverse effects. I mean, you can live without it, yeah, 501 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:30,199 Speaker 1: if need be. It's kind of like to use an 502 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:33,520 Speaker 1: example here at work, Um, in one of our meeting 503 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:36,680 Speaker 1: rooms that's called the cool room. U, there is a 504 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:40,800 Speaker 1: cardboard box in the corner that apparently contains cat. No, 505 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:43,439 Speaker 1: not a cat. It contains I think it contains like 506 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:47,240 Speaker 1: lit rocks or something like a product from another age, 507 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:51,000 Speaker 1: and but it's been in there forever those this product 508 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:52,919 Speaker 1: is not to mind. I I have no idea, but 509 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,440 Speaker 1: evidently it's not going anywhere. This package is it has 510 00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 1: no delivery information on it. Um, whatever purpose it was 511 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:03,760 Speaker 1: originally intended for, it's obviously not meeting right, and it's 512 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:08,080 Speaker 1: it survived renovations, right, renovation after innovation. But I set 513 00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:11,080 Speaker 1: on it every meeting that we have in the cool room, 514 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:15,120 Speaker 1: at least for the big editorial meetings. So while it's 515 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:18,000 Speaker 1: original purpose is long gone, it is found a new 516 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:20,800 Speaker 1: purpose and it works very well in that regard. So 517 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:24,880 Speaker 1: it's adapted. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's very Darwinian of it. Yeah, 518 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:26,640 Speaker 1: you could. You could remove it now and say, hey, 519 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:29,119 Speaker 1: this is pointless within horma gonna set right, so you 520 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:31,119 Speaker 1: would miss it. Yeah. So I think a number of 521 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 1: these things will the appendix and the tailbone seem to 522 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:37,760 Speaker 1: fall into those potentially fall into those categories where the 523 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:41,400 Speaker 1: original you know, full blown purpose may not be appliable anymore, 524 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:46,560 Speaker 1: but they still have important roles to play. Yeah, absolutely, Yeah, 525 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:48,880 Speaker 1: we don't want them to go away. So Robert, tell 526 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:51,680 Speaker 1: me about your toes and fingernails. Um, well, my fingernails 527 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 1: are fine. Uh. My toes, however, well kept, look good. Yeah, well, 528 00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:59,640 Speaker 1: thank you. Um my toes my toe nails at times 529 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:02,520 Speaker 1: have proved a problem. Uh, to the point where I've wondered, 530 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 1: what's up with them? Like, why do I have toenails 531 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:08,760 Speaker 1: if they're just going to um, you know, break when 532 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 1: they run into tables, uh, if and they're gonna end 533 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:15,640 Speaker 1: up growing weird into like the side of my toe. 534 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 1: So I've had to have this procedure done. Uh forgive me. 535 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:20,719 Speaker 1: I don't know the name of it, but basically, uh, 536 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,400 Speaker 1: the doctor goes in, cuts off, cuts out a side 537 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,160 Speaker 1: of the toenail, and then kills the nail bed. So 538 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:28,680 Speaker 1: I still have to nails, you know, I'm not you know, 539 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: they just want to get that out there. But they've 540 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,880 Speaker 1: been altered so that they don't grow so mind numbingly 541 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:37,880 Speaker 1: painful anymore. And I've run into other people like a 542 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:40,560 Speaker 1: friend of mine, Uh, this guy Michael. It's like I 543 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:42,000 Speaker 1: was talking him one day. It's like he's like, oh, 544 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:44,640 Speaker 1: I had that procedure done. Uh. And then my my 545 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,000 Speaker 1: actual pediatrist, who he's had it done as well. So 546 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,280 Speaker 1: so you feel like maybe the toe nails they could well, 547 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 1: I just think there's something well I don't know, if 548 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:55,240 Speaker 1: we well, maybe we could lose them. I happy and 549 00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:57,040 Speaker 1: I haven't had to like actually like dig in the 550 00:29:57,080 --> 00:30:00,120 Speaker 1: dirt with my toes before. Um, I mean not, I 551 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,240 Speaker 1: mean maybe recreationally, but you know, not for an actual 552 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:05,520 Speaker 1: survival purpose. We don't want to hear about your weekend. 553 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:08,640 Speaker 1: But I mean, seriously, it's like if if I'm having 554 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:10,440 Speaker 1: to go to the doctor to have them change so 555 00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 1: that they don't hurt, there's something. There's something up. But 556 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:15,840 Speaker 1: maybe the design is a little outdated. Yeah, yeah, I'd 557 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: go with that. But we maybe we want them, but 558 00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 1: not necessarily the way that they are. Yeah, Um, I 559 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 1: do say that I think that the fingernails are still 560 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 1: pretty useful. Yes, definitely. In fact, I know, um, one 561 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:30,960 Speaker 1: guy that uses his pinky nail uh to actually screw 562 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:33,640 Speaker 1: things in. You thought I was gonna get somewhere else 563 00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:37,960 Speaker 1: with that, didn't you, I don't know, long pinky nails. Yeah. Um, 564 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 1: but so you know they can still be used as tools. Yeah, 565 00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:44,440 Speaker 1: I mean, I mean, anybody who's I mean using to 566 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 1: pick up stuff all the time, scratching It may not 567 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 1: be the ideal thing to do, but I mean, how 568 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:52,080 Speaker 1: would you like? Scratching would be a whole different ordeal 569 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:54,440 Speaker 1: if you couldn't, like rub a mosquito bite? Can Yeah? 570 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:57,680 Speaker 1: Can you imagine that? Would be torture. So I think 571 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:00,720 Speaker 1: nails are not going away anytime, know, And then I 572 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: guess there's something too about keeping bacteria away or I 573 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:06,760 Speaker 1: don't even know, or something that we're storing it for later. 574 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:13,440 Speaker 1: I'll have this for later. Um, but that does make 575 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:15,600 Speaker 1: me think, what what are we going to look like 576 00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:18,920 Speaker 1: in five years? You know, what what might become vestigial 577 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,960 Speaker 1: for for us humans? Yeah? Yeah, again, we're not gonna 578 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:25,440 Speaker 1: you know, develop new organs or limbs, you know, to 579 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:29,040 Speaker 1: to tackle new problems. But you know, some new problems 580 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:33,320 Speaker 1: may arise, some problems will continue to disappear. So yeah, 581 00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:37,320 Speaker 1: we'll we become completely hairless. I'm going with that. Will 582 00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:41,240 Speaker 1: all of us lose these annoying wisdom teeth? I hope 583 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:45,640 Speaker 1: so I certainly do. Uh. Will we no longer have 584 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: to nails? Hmm, It's possible, We'll see. So if you 585 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:53,480 Speaker 1: want to know more about this topic, UM, you should 586 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:55,520 Speaker 1: come to the house stuff works dot com website and 587 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:59,680 Speaker 1: check out how this digial organs work by Molly Edmunds. Um, 588 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 1: you should read how atavism works by Katie Lambert, and 589 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:06,640 Speaker 1: we also have one on how natural selection works by 590 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:11,720 Speaker 1: ed uh Grab Byanofsky's Right said it right and Grab, 591 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 1: as we call him grab so. For more information on 592 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:17,680 Speaker 1: why you do or do not have a kale uh, 593 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:21,400 Speaker 1: check out those articles and we'll catch you next time. 594 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:28,680 Speaker 1: For more on this and thousands of other topics, is 595 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:30,960 Speaker 1: it how stuff works dot com. To learn more about 596 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,840 Speaker 1: the podcast, click on the podcast icon in the upper 597 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 1: right corner of our homepage. The How Stuff Works iPhone 598 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,960 Speaker 1: app has arrived. Download it today on iTunes.