As humans, we have evolved errr… changed over time. Because of the complexity of our bodies, certain organs and parts seem to become less and less needed over time. Whether you’re some big fan of evolution or you’re completely against it, there are parts of the human body that are no longer needed to live or survive. While they may have been necessary to live in the past, in today’s world, there are many different body parts that we just don’t need! Here is a list of the top 10 body parts that are completely useless.
10. Plica semilunaris
Better known as your third eyelid, or maybe not, this organ in our bodies is just one of the many parts that we don’t need. If you pull up on each of your eyelids, the plica semilunaris will be exposed. This part of the eye is known to produce “sleep,” or that weird crust you have in your eyes when you wake up. Thank you plica semilunaris. How could we live without waking up with weird stuff in our eyes?
9. Arrector Pili
The arrector pili are extremely small muscle fibers that are attached to each hair follicle on your body. It is known to make the hairs stand, which causes goose bumps. Most mammals, including his humans have these small muscle fibers; however, they serve no real purpose. They are much more helpful when it comes to animals with much more hair because they provide a layer of insulation.
8. Wisdom teeth
Wisdom teeth are those that are located in the back of the mouth. These teeth were once very helpful, especially when humans had a diet that consisted of a lot of tough meat. Wisdom teeth, at this time, allowed humans to properly chew their food. Nowadays, many people don’t even get them. And if they do, they’re surely in for a surprise. Generally wisdom teeth are removed, due to them growing in wrong or causing pain. These chompers can cause a lot of pain either way!
7. Coccyx
The coccyx, more commonly known as the tailbone, is the last part of the human vertebrae. It consists of five separate or fused vertebrae and is the remnant of the vestigial tail. However, the coccyx isn’t completely useless. It does allow many different ligaments, tendons, and muscles to attach. It is also helpful when it comes to weight-bearing. In any case, the coccyx is generally much more important in those mammals with tails.
6. Tonsils
The tonsils are another useless part of the body that can cause certain people a lot of pain. Open your mouth wide and you’ll see a tonsil on each side of your throat, unless you have had them removed. Tonsils are lymphoid tissues that are prone to becoming infected and swelling up. And you know what that means, surgery to get rid of ‘em!
5. Adenoids
Adenoids are masses of lymphoid tissue that are located at the very back of the nose. These tissues are part of the immune system and trap bacteria that can cause viruses. However, they only provide a strong defense against bacteria that is inhaled. As you grow, your adenoids shrink, which makes them useless. They are only helpful when you are a child.
4. Sinuses
Sinuses are one part of the body that doctors really don’t know too much about. We have a lot of them, but they’re nothing but air-filled spaces. Some say that they insulate our eyes while some doctors say that they influence our voice’s tone and pitch. In any case, no one exactly knows what they’re for, but we do know that they cause headaches. Sinuses are also famous for infections.
3. Male nipples
This doesn’t need much of an explanation. Males don’t breastfeed, so nipples really aren’t needed. I guess they serve as decoration.
2. Gall bladder
This is just another part of the body that is sometimes surgically removed. The gall bladder is a small organ that is known to store bile as well as aid in digestion. However, the gall bladder can sometimes produce gall stones and cause people to not be able eat without vomiting. If this is the case, out it goes.
1. Appendix
The appendix is a narrow, muscular tube that attaches to the large intestine. Its purpose is to digest cellulose. The appendix was a more important and necessary organ when the body was introduced to more vegetables. When the human diet consisted of mostly plants, the appendix was extremely important. However, in today’s world, the appendix isn’t a necessary organ. In fact, sometimes the appendix can become infected and burst. About 300,000 Americans have their appendix removed
73 Comments
Hair, pinky toe……
So when we become an adolescent why not just have #8, #6, #5, #2 and # 1 removed from our bodies. #8, #6 and #5 are gone from my body so know I’m working on #2 and #1 and lets face it, #1 The Appendix can literally kill you when it bursts and no medical treatment is available !!
um Peter you said ” The Appendix can literally kill you when it bursts and no medical treatment is available !! ”
Your information is completely wrong !
My appendix burst, and I was operated on and did nearly die… but treatment IS available for those whose appendix actually burst.
I seriously laughed out loud when I read “bacteria that can cause viruses”
this article is a joke written by some high school schmuck based solely on his opinion and imagination.
If it wasen’t then I feel bad for the uneducated schmuck. No hard feelings just my opinion.
Every organ is important it performs a specialized function and it is therefore very dangerous for you to assume that an organ in useless! #5 about adenoids, for heaven’s sake! bacteria does not cause viruses! they are however two very completely different etiologic agents, please refrain from putting your OWN PERSONAL opinion on matters you do not know. for one, you are NOT a Doctor to make these silly assumptions, the internet is full of trash. please do not add more.. – Dr.AMCM
Whats up, yo the only thing useless in this tonsils, it controls nothing really, cept how deep your voice may be, and it reminds us we aren’t flawless lol…we feel it often.
Praise Cthululululululu.
I think that you may be confused with the Larynx versus the tonsils. Tonsils do not determine how deep your voice gets, these immunocompetent tissues are the immune system’s first line of defense against ingested or inhaled foreign pathogens.
Sinuses are important!!!
Sinuses chief function is to produce a special mucus that keeps the inside of the nose moist and protects it from dust, dirt, pollutants, and microbiologic organisms. The mucus layer is propelled by tiny hair cells called cilia toward the back of the nose and throat, where it is swallowed.
As an example: Frequent NetiPot use can actually trigger sinus infections because your clearing the mucus that protects you. However moderate NetiPot use is OK. Trust me – I’ve learned that the hard way.
Well, I really liked your article but I have to say that I don’t quiet agree that tonsils are not necessery. I don’t have tonsils because I had them removed at the age of 8 but since then whenever I get sick I always have a very high and almost impossible to bring down fever which my doctor says it is because I don’t have tonsils.
Funny thing is is that male nipples can produce milk if stimulated for weeks (enough milk to keep an infant alive). Women and men do not need to be pregnant to produce milk, the nipples just need stimulation. There are african tribes where the men also help breastfeed the children. I guess it’s a way of making sure your ofspring survives if the mother dies but it is rare today.
Thanks for the article, but bacteria do not cause viruses. That doesn’t even make sense.
This is one of those mostly baseless articles again, “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration” in this book, now available free online, explains why people have messed up teeth, why our wisdom teeth don’t come in right, its horrible nutrition before, during, and after pregnancy. Wisdom teeth are great for you, you know, chewing your food! and they are not for chewing meat, that is ridiculous, predators don’t chew their meat, they just swallow it because they have the proper digestive systems to handle large amounts of flesh. Wisdom teeth are for properly masticating plant matter.
The coccyx only has 5 vertebrae….
“These tissues are part of the immune system and trap bacteria that can cause viruses”
HAHAHAHAHA…Dang, I had no idea that bacteria caused viruses…that’s so stupid it’s hilarious. Also, pretty much all of those are useful with the exception of the wisdom teeth.
Reproduction parts are a waste of human use. They cause more trouble that there worth.
Ah so the gall bladder is useless? I guess all the doctors I consulted about my digestion problems where wrong. It must be a strange magic force not my non-functioning gall bladder.
all fetuses are born female and require a hormone to become male. The human Fetus must develop nipples before receiving this said hormone thus explaining why males have nipples.
The coccyx only has 4 vertebrates.
it’s actually 3-5 so……
Has anyone thought of economy of design? Many things have the same base, but that does not mean that they evolved from the same thing. Useless, who can really judge? Just becasue people may not know or understand, does not mean that something is useless.
Bacteria do not cause viruses!!! Bacteria and viruses are two different types of sometimes pathogenic microorganisms!
"trap bacteria that can cause viruses"
The human body has many different types of skin covering it and many of them all connect together at the nipples. Since all humans are inherently female (a Y Chromosome has to be active later to make them male) a second (important) function is for breastfeeding in women.
or maybe god just thought something needed to go there….. lol i mean how would you look without nipples? honestly?
God carries no relevance in Ramsey’s response to this article. The only reason a man would look unusual without nipples would be because we’d already familiarized ourselves with the look of them. Should we never have seen them, we would not think it strange.
Also, lactation can occur amongst men, though is rarely documented.
Try to keep your own, religious opinions off articles which do not actually involve it.
I breast feed my baby and im male; i dont think its useless!
eeewwww
rubbish! bile is stored in the gallbladder that helps in the digestion of fats. Fat soluble vitamins will be useless therefore if there's no bile to synthesize them. specially vitamin without it, every human in this planet is prone to bleeding!
rubbish rubbish rubbish!
Everything is pointless
Especially your existence? Well you did say " Everything".
Had my gallbladder removed in 1995 and have regretted it ever since. Most of the time after I eat, within 5-10mins I have the worst diarrhea, which consists of mainly bile. I sometimes get cramps so bad that I break out in a cold sweat and feel like vomiting.
I know that you posted this year’s ago but if you have not already been screened for Chrones disease or IBS you really need to. The symptoms you’re describing have nothing to do with your gall bladder but sound very much like your gut health. You can see your doctor or if you have insurance you can test at home with no out of pocket expense. There are several companies that offer in home testing just do a web search for Smart gut testing or Ubiome screening kit. I hope you have already resolved the situation and are in much better health these days. I went through EXACTLY what you are going through and it turned out to be IBS. Everything is under control now and no more sitting on the toilet holding a trashbin in my lap, praying for the nausea to pass with out vomiting.
Arrector Pili useless?!? hardly.
As the core temperature of the human body begins to decrease, the arrector pili tighten in order to decrease the surface area of your skin for heat to escape, it's why your skin becomes all bumpy. Another effect is that the energy needed to contract the muscle release a small amount of hear as waste.
Wisdom teeth were actually a vital part back in the day not necessarily for chewing but because as teeth fell out the wisdom teeth would push the other teeth together so it would still be possible to eat but since now we keep our teeth for much longer the wisdom teeth push against a full set of teeth causing severe problems and that's why they are removed
Krugle – That is fascinating, I have never heard that reasoning for wisdom teeth before. Thanks for sharing.
That’s a great fun fact, thanks for sharing! I am taking Anatomy & Physiology and it’s interesting to me some things that are on this list because although some of these “useless parts” can be removed because of infections or there is a disfunction to it they still serve as important key players in our body systems (mostly endocrine and lymphatic) Thanks!
Tthe fact that we are filled with pointless parts strongly indicates that there was no creator, and that evolution took place.
YOU'RE A LOSER JEREMY!!
I agree, Jeremy is a loser. Ha.
he's a loser because…?
anyways I agree with his point.
i would call him ignorant.
he didnt go read about each of the 10 parts mentioned here.
and i dont agree with his point
jeremy for the record scientist believe there is a reason we evolved all the different things our body is made up of for a reason. o and they also admit openly they cant figure out how we evolved since the PERFECT situation at the PERFECT time and the PERFECT place for us to have evolved is necessary and they basically couldn’t even do it in a lab…. must still point back to man doesnt know anything and gods awesome.
last point……. why arent we and….everything else for that matter still evolving… wow i love stupid smart people. haha.
poodin says:
“last point……. why arent we and….everything else for that matter still evolving… wow i love stpid smart people. haha.”
You do realize we and other animals are still evolving ( i cant say all are, because im not sure you are), and if you cant see it… then you are either blind or just plain ignorant or maybe you just wanted to sound intelligent…
I love you. = >
The reason we seemingly aren’t “still evolving” is because it is a gradual processs over many, many generations. It is by no means a voluntary action, nor does it support the idea of spontanious and drastic changes (hence the once mentioned Duckagator). If one want to believe there was a God who innitially created us, or more or less guided us through the process, that may be true still. The truth is that organisms ARE evolving (check out the evolution of the peppered moth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppered_moth_evolution) and so are we (I don’t suppose humans in general may be getting taller, now, are they?). There is a perfect balance between religion and science (if you believe that is), and that is through education and a thurough and complete understanding of concepts and theories.
Because as we all know….Evolution is just a spider bite away. Or maybe it just happens and then you get to go to Xaviers School for the gifted.
Or Hogwarts. Duh guys, duh =P
jeremy you are a ignorant loser, god created ever for a reason
God isn’t real, silly face. 😛
Wrong! Bomp! There is a Creator for sure. One would have to be an absolute retard to not see that.
See what? Show me “Him” and then you can call all of us “retards.” Some of us prefer to not blindly trust what a bunch of egotistical and sadistic religious “scholars” propagandize in a church/temple/mosque.
everything has its own reason why things exist. well i love my wisdom teeth! 😀
and i know a lot of people who removed their organs etc. suffered its consequences..
who knows in the future it may be essential. 😉
ya u r right buddy
i think nothing in the world is useless.
Random, I guess that's highly individual, because I haven't had a single digestive problem since my gallbladder was removed 15 years ago. I just experienced major, major relief of all pain and suffering I experienced while I had that bugger in my abdomen! 😉
no its advised that you don’t consume much fats and lipids after the gall bladder is removed. It is actually relatively important in digestion.
My Father and Brother had their’s removed and they eat whatever they like. I don’t think it has made the slightest difference in their eating habits.
FYI, Even after a successful cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal) you still are prone to vomiting and various other yucky feelings. Your gallbladder helps digest fat and, once removed, can and will remind you continually that it is not there.
haha this is funny.. i like the wisdom tooth
I'll chime in on the usefulness of the appendix. It was recently found to be a safe harbor for the "good" bacteria your digestive tract needs. If a particularly toxic attacker or, more likely, a strong dose of antibiotics turns your intestines into a bacteriological dead zone the survivors can crawl out of the appendix to repopulate the world! Well, your internal world anyway.
wow, most of these parts are acctually extremely useful, goose bumps are a good early warning system, and the coccyx has attachments for the gluteus medius.
Plica semilunaris useless? Hardly!! Without them to produce what you refer to as "sleep", pressure builds up inside your eyes causing pressure on the occular nerve The end result is Glaucoma which, if not controlled, eventually causes blindness. You think an annual checkup for Glaucoma is not necessary? Think again.
This is not correct. Not all fetuses are female. ALL EGGS are. When conception happens, the male donates an X chromosome to fertilize the egg making it a female or a Y chromosome to make the fetus a male. Nipples are simply a vestigial organ in males (non functioning) but they are part of all humans male or female and most other species as well….it is kind of like hair or a belly button…part of our body despite gender.
The reason why men have nipples.
Fetuses in the womb are all female until the male hormone testosterone kicks in and turns the female into a male. Nipples have already developed and therefore both females and males have nipples.
rendering them useless?
in some cultures the male nipple also acts as a temporary pacifier to give the mother's nipple a break. it is how the male can bond with the baby during the breast feeding age.
#3 still have a use.
With the right stimulation men can lactate, more commonly nowadays with the use of chemical stimulation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_lactation
#10 in regards to sleep.
Sleep is secreted as a physical barrier to stop dust and other particales getting into our eyes while we sleep.
I'd like to point out that useless organs #6 and #1 are not infact "useless" they are quite important for our immune systems. When taken out, our bodies ability to fight disease is markedly lower.
i agree #1 and #6 are very necessary, i get realy annoyed when people/DRs suggest that certain organs or parts of the body are obsolete…without absolute knowledge how can people make these assumptions.
open the hood of your car, remove a bolt that seems to be in no way linked to the operating of the engine. Next day start up you car and watch as the engine falls throught the floor of the car.
This is what has been happening with the appendix – and there are people in this world going to a great deal of trouble to HIDE THE TRUTH.
when i was 7, my appendix burst and was removed.. my health has deteriated ever since – the appendix " trains the immune system " .. WE NEED IT
Can you please stop helping people stay ignorant and stupid? This entire video is wrong…
It is true the appendix has now been found to create new anti-bodies and help in the reproduction of the bodys organs
the males nipples re my biggest problem now for i dont see their function as a matter of fact they just design the chest of men
but i will research on this to see this to their use
hope the male nipple doesn’t go anywhere. mine help me get aroused.
Male nipples are just female nipples. In the womb, nipple growth happens before gender is assigned to the fetus, they only become ‘useless’ when the Y chromosome is introduced.