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Thursday, February 21, 2013

10 Useless Human Body Parts

A list of human body parts that experts believe are useless. Are they really useless? Or perhaps the experts haven’t yet truly discovered their true functions.

A few years back, I was bothered by a stomach pain that required medical attention. I was diagnosed as having an acute appendicitis that needed an urgent operation. Since school classes had just started, my father asked the doctor if they could postpone the operation. But the doctors are too apprehensive, and said, “the healing process will only requires just a week, besides appendix is a useless organ”. Shocked and surprised to hear those statements, I begun questioning my self, “are there really are useless body parts?”

Now, I’ve done some researched and found out that experts believed there are at least 10 body parts that are useless. Before you continue reading the rest of the article, I will leave you a puzzling question: do you agree with the experts findings or you have a dissenting opinion. It is your call. Here is the list:

Plica Semilunaris

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Yes, you have a third eyelid and it is called the plica semilunaris. It is a small fold of bulbar conjunctiva located on the inner corner of the eye. An accessory organ of the eye, plica semilunaris is a left over from what’s known as a “nictitating membrane.” For most mammals, it is a vestigal organ, which is still present in chickens, lizards and sharks. But for humans, plica semilunaris serves an important purpose: it produces a fatty substance (rheum) that collects foreign bodies such as dirt and dust from entering the eye and damaging the cornea. This foreign bodies is then deposited hear the tear duct, ready to be brushed away in the morning.

Body Hair

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Three million years ago, human were once hairier. Earth temperature at that time was much colder than today so our body hair is a good insulation for the colder climate. But by the time Homo erectus arrived, the ability to sweat meant we could shed our woolly ways. Today, having much body hair is annoying that people having this predicament seek the help of dermatologists. Thanks to the now popular hair waxing, excess body hair are remove with ease. So the question arises, “Do we really need body hair?”

Sinuses

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Humans have four pairs of sinuses that are found in the bones of the head and face. These air-filled spaces are lined with a moist, thin layer of tissue called a mucous membrane. The mucous membrane secretes mucus that traps dust and germs that are in the air we breathe. Doctors don’t really know much about sinuses but some researchers think they keep the head from being too heavy. Sinuses also give you the pitch and tone of our voice.

Adenoids

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Adenoids are lumpy mass of lymphoid tissue that help protect kids from getting sick. They situated at the very back of the nose and the roof of the mouth. Most people’s adenoids are not even in use after a person’s third year. In fact, adenoids usually shrink after about age 5, and by the teenage years they often practically disappear. Adenoids do important work as infection fighters for babies and little kids. But they become less important once a kid gets older and the body develops other ways to fight germs. Also, they are prone to swelling and infection.

Tonsils

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Tonsils are clusters of lymphoid tissue on either side of the throat. They act as part of the immune system to help protect against infection. But are they really important. Researches lead us to believe that adenoids are developed to deal with certain types of infections, such as worms or other parasites. It is clear that in many cases, the adenoids become “dysfunctional” and are more of a liability than an asset since they are prone to swelling and infection.

Coccyx

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The coccyx or the tailbone, is the final segment of the human vertebral column. It is made up of three to five separate or fused vertebrae held in place by joints and ligaments. In humans and other tailless primates since Nakalipithecus (a Miocene hominoid), the coccyx is the left over of a vestigial tail, but still not entirely useless. It is part of a weight-bearing support structure which act as a support for a sitting person. Also, it serve as a place for the insertion of some of the muscles of the pelvic floor.

Arrector Pili

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Arrector pili are tiny microscopic muscle tissues that connect hair follicles to the dermis. When stimulated, the arrector pili will contract and cause the hair to stand on end when we needed to appear bigger and scarier, causing goose bumps. They exist in most mammals including humans but in some animals arrector pili serve an important function; acting as insulation to keep their body warm. Other animals, such as porcupines use them as a defensive mechanism when threatened by enemies.

Wisdom Teeth

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Third Molar teeth also known as wisdom teeth are the last teeth to appear in your mouth. This generally occurs between the ages of 17 and 25. Back in the day, when man ate rough diet but didn‘t bother to floss afterwards, there resulted an over excessive wear of their teeth. Therefore, when those “wisdom teeth,” came in, they were welcomed. Nowadays, modern diet, which is much softer, and the popularity of fluoride and orthodontic tooth straightening procedures have just made molar teeth them a huge pain when they enter the mouth.

Appendix

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The appendix is a blind ended tube connected to the cecum that averages 10 cm in length. It is located near the connection of the small intestine and the large intestine. Evolutionists claimed that the appendix is a part of a large digestive system during man’s early plant-eating years and has no function in modern human. However, present day researches and studies suggest that it may produce that are helpful in the function of the human colon.

Male Nipples

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For centuries, men have pondered on why men have nipples and what are its functions. The most logical explanation experts gave is that during conception, an unborn child has the potential to be either male or female. During conception, the embryo has set of 23 pairs of chromosomes. One pair of chromosomes determines sex: XX chromosomes for female and XY means male. The other 22 pairs (autosomes) supply the standard equipment that all humans get. As we all know, nipples are beneficial to women but male nipples– I believe they are useless.

37 comments:

  1. I believe that there is no part in the human body that is useless. There must be a reason for everything under heaven, said the Scriptures. We may not know that now but maybe when the time comes, we will acknowledge how significant these parts are to us - to complete us.

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  2. I didn't know that there were other parts of the body that were not in use after a certain age. I only knew about the tonsils and wisdom teeth.

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  3. Wow! this is one good article! Made me smirk a little but truly made sense! I also heard that appendix is a useless part of the body but I still keep mine. :D I still believe tho that those other parts you mentioned still have purpose in our body. That's in my opinion. Thanks for posting tho!

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  4. I was laughing so hard at male nipples being useless. Tama nga naman ano? But in one culture, some males actually nurse their young just so the babies would stop crying. Although there's no milk, the babies feel comfortable being nursed so they eventually stop crying.

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  5. I'm not sure if these body parts are entirely useless but it can be said that people can survive without them. However, I think whether useless or not it will be weird to see a man without nipples. :P

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  6. All are correct info papaleng. Especially the appendicitis and the sinuses. This two makes me gggrrrrrrr. I hate it because I experience how painful and uncomfortable to have this in your body.

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  7. They are all helpful dude. hehehe. Without them a human being is not complete.

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  8. It bothers me why body hair was included in the list. For me is not useless. It is a form of protection.

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  9. I think men nipples are the most useless...ehehe, but because the nipples are there before men are born, nipples stay there.

    By the way, could you kindly check your post about the tonsils? I got a little confused there.

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  10. I had my wisdom tooth real early so must mean I wise beyond my years. Just kidding.

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  11. I'd be glad to take my third molars out! =(

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  12. I know wisdom tooth talaga wlang use.... Others naman first time ko naman yun at ang male nipple... hehehe

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  13. wow nice to know those informations! I agree with tonsils. Mine is very sensitive. I cannot eat anything sweet at night before I go to bed or I dont drink cold water before I go to bed too. Because the next day it will swell and I'll be sick hehe xx weird but true xx

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  14. wow. this is a very informative post!
    haha, and yes lang, ano nga ba use ng nipple sa guys???? lol :)

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  15. Informative post Kuya! I wonder too why we have parts in our bodies where their function is very little. However, I'm sure our Creator made it that way for a reason.

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  16. Bakit nga ba may nipples ang lalaki eh di naman magagamit lol, just kidding KUya..

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  17. Helpful information Papaleng. Ang alam ko lang kasi dati ang appendix natin kasi nga marami akong kilala na naoperahan na dahil wala naman daw pakinabang.

    I often wonder why God included these parts in our body na wala namang function. When I asked hubby about it ang sagot nya lang "para daw ingatan natin ang ating katawan". Kasi mga pag hindi, gaya ng appedix magastos ang operasyon.

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    1. My family doctor told me na appendix is just there for balance.

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  18. hehehe, lol about men's nipples :) about the tonsils, that was my doctor told me before when i was very young, i was prone to infections then and he told me the next time i get tonsilitis, they will just remove my tonsils since i can survive without it since others don't have it. i was so scared of having operation, believe it or not, i still have my tonsils :) never complained about tonsilitis since then :)

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  19. That's one informative post right there! As to male nipples, I learned from watching Discovery Channel some years ago that male can actually produce milk when the nipples are properly stimulated. A substitute maybe in the absence of the baby's mother? :)

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  20. This is the first I heard abut useless human body parts, I guess they are there for a reason.:)

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  21. I believe the body parts all have a function just that not all are vital for survival...thinking of men's nipples now, the hubby's in particular :D silly me haha, :)

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  22. ...and thanks again for this awesome informative post bro :)

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  23. i don't think they are absolutely useless...they are there for a purpose, otherwise it should not have exist. Yahweh bless.

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  24. Hmmm..everything has a purpose I believe. Maybe humans are yet to discover palang what they are.

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  25. I wonder why's that useless..... hmmm

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  26. Great post and great question here Papaleng. Love this article!

    Here is my answer.

    I think, all of our body parts do have its own function and it's given for a reason. SO for me, no parts is useless. I think, what the doctors are trying to say is that, those body parts can be removed without causing so much damaged to the human body or person.

    For example, about the tonsils, if its always getting irritated and causing so much trouble to the body (fever because of tonsilitis), it can be removed. No harm done to the human (unless he or she is a singer or such.)

    I hope I make sense with my explanation haha.

    Again, nice post!

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  27. i knew some of the body parts that are useless, however i am not sure if they really are useless, for it was made for something..

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  28. Very informative Papaleng :-) I still have my tonsil and am not sure if I still have the wisdom tooth :-) I want to keep all my body parts as long as I am healthy to keep them :-)

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  29. wow, another interesting info po Papaleng...galing mo talaga mag-research ng mga bagay na ipi-feed sa iyong mga reader, keep it up. i'm learning...:)

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  30. What a great article. I really had fun reading this, I always wonder what do appendix real purpose on our body.

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  31. i believe that every part of our body has its functions. its like a man exist because he has a purpose. hehe. although wisdom tooth really gave me an ache. i let it be extracted by my dentist.

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  32. I think I'm gonna say that body hair and wisdom teeth is useless. it gives me 0% confidence! :(

    By the way, cheers to this another piece of information paps! :)

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  33. God must have place those parts on purpose. We just didn't what it is.

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  34. I agree with the body hair, 100%!!!!

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