This is something I get allot, "If God created us, why do we have vestigial organs? Shouldn't everything be perfect?" Well yes, God created us and every little thing we have supports our body in some way. This is often used as an evolutionist argument, arts that are left behind from our ancestors.
A few years ago, there was a list containing all the "vestiagial" organs in our body, I think it included about 80. That list has been narrowed down, to 0. There are a few that were not mentioned that are mentioned today, but its still not vestigial. I will list a bunch of vestigial organs from various websites, I will explain what the organ is, if I can, what it came from, and then explain why it is not vestigial.
Plica semilunaris
Also known as the third eyelid in some cases.
What is it?
The plica semilunaris is a small fold of bulbar conjunctiva on the medial canthus of the eye. A non biology version would be, that little pinkish triangle thingy at the point of your eyes closest to your nose.
Here is a picture of one:
Where did it come from?
It is believed that this came from reptiles or birds. They use it allot, some other animals like cats and chickens. It is believed that we didn't use it, so it shrunk, and never fell off.What it is used for
Now something I'd like to point out, just because it seems to be the same thing doesn't mean it is the same thing. Look at us and whales, we have 2 bones in our wrist and whales have bones with the same names close to their tail, yet to do completely different things. So it has the same name, but that means absolutely nothing they are not the same. Now the plica semilunaris is definatly not vestigial. I thought most people should be able to figure it out, but since it is used as examples... What happens if you cry? Where does the tears go? Straight to your plica semilunaris and it slips right off! What happens if you get sand in your eye? It hurts or burns, blink a little and you will notice that the dirt is moving closer and closer to the plica semilunaris, once its there its much easier to get it out! The plica semilunaris helps to keep your eyes clean and slippery.
Take contact lenses for example. Have you ever seen someone fall asleep with contact lenses in their eyes? I have, when they wake up their eyes are really really dry. The contact lenses blocks whatever the plica semilunaris wants to do to make the eye slippery, since you have contact lenses in it can't perform its job, making your eyes dried up when you wake up in the morning.
Body hair
I'm sure you all know what that is!
Where did it come from?
It is believed that this came from chimps, but I'm sure you knew that.
What is it used for?
Hair is used for things other than warmth. Hair intensifies the sense of touch, when they are moved or bent. The amount of hair is determined by your genes, not everyone has the same amount of hair everywhere, there are allot of other things that affect your hair growth such as androgens. I'm not going to go into the biology of it. Hair is mostly used for body heat.
Sinuses
What is it?
Well I thought this wasn't really worth to be on the list, but hey, I'm just reading from the lists and then replying. Sinuses are air-filled spaces, communicating with the nasal cavity, within the bones of the skull and face.
What is it used for?
Well, even some evolutionists agree that sinuses are not vestigial, allot of debates have gone on about it, but it is suggested that the sinuses's functions could be:
- Decreasing the relative weight of the front of the skull, and especially the bones of the face. The shape of the facial bones is important, as a point of origin and insertion for the muscles of facial expression.
- Increasing resonance of the voice.
- Providing a buffer against blows to the face.
- Insulating sensitive structures like dental roots and eyes from rapid temperature fluctuations in the nasal cavity.
- Humidifying and heating of inhaled air because of slow air turnover in this region.
What is it?
Adenoids are a mass of lymphoid tissue situated at the very back of the nose, in the roof of the nasopharynx, where the nose blends into the mouth.
What is it used for?
It is used to trap and destroy pathogens in the air that enter the nasopharynx.
If you have yours removed, not a problem, you might just get a few diseases others don't get.
Tonsils
What is it?
The tonsils are areas of lymphoid tissue on either side of the throat.
What is it used for?
Well these two small glands in the back of your throat help protect you against infections.
Coccyx
Also referred to as a tail bone.
What is it?
It is the final segment of the human vertebral column.
You can find it right there:
What is it used for?
Scientists have found that important muscles attach to those bones. Without those muscles, your pelvic organs would collapse Without them you could not have a bowel movement, nor could you walk or sit upright. Or go to the bathroom if you really have to go after eating allot!
Goose bumps
What is it?
Are the bumps on a person's skin at the base of body hairs which may involuntarily develop when a person is cold or experiences strong emotions such as fear or awe.
What is it used for?
Goose bumps are caused by muscle contractions. These force oil into the follicle and onto the skin. This traps air around the surface of the skin and provides added insulation.
Appendix
What is it?
It is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum, from which it develops embryologically.
What is it used for?
Science recently discovered that man needs this organ. It helps protect you from gastrointestinal problems in the lower ascending colon. It also fights infection. The problem is they say if something can be cut out and you can still live fine then its vestigial. Thats not how it works, cut off an arm, you can still live fine, does that make the arm vestigial? Same with your eyes, toes, fingers, everything you have has a function, just because you can live perfectly without them doesn't mean they are not needed.
Seriously the list just goes on and on and on, even though it mostly has a logical explanation people still choose to use it as arguments. Now we hit a problem for evolutionists, why arn't there any vestigial organs? See what has just happened there? Evolutionists ask questions, which are fine, but when we answer them, the same question is asked to them, but the opposite. According to evolution we should have a bunch of vestigial organs.
Other questions like this is, "What about the Geologic column?" then this is easily explained and the faults are pointed out in the evolutionists point of view, then we might ask why it looks like that. For example, why are there no erosion marks with the layers, if it formed over millions of years, don't you think it would rain once or twice? Or "How do you explain dinosaurs?", then after my explanation I can ask, why are human and dino footprints found on the same place, why are dino's mentioned and described in the bible, why did egyptians etc. know allot about dinosaurs?
So yea, its something to think about. Thats all for this topic.
-Martin
I think you don't know what biologists mean with "vestigial". It doesn't mean that such organs are useless, it means that they have lost their key role and may, or may not, have slid into a different or reduced function. This is not always as clear-cut as you portray it to be and much of it is still under dispute.
ReplyDeleteAn example is with goosebumps: the hair of the skin still stands due to the contractions. This has a clear purpose in animals as part of body insulation. Not for human beings, and still it happens.
Human and dino footprints, by the way, have so far always been proven to be fakes (in so far the people who have found them have ever shown them to real scientists). As for dinos in the Bible, I've heard that argument before, but apart from one or two vague references towards big land or sea animals, nothing - and all this while those enormous animals aren't exactly easy to overlook. They would have ripped apart cattle and people and destroyed towns. And when the Bible mentions animals in a bad role, it's a frog plague. Go figure.
its hilarious that you wrote this entire entry without even knowing what constitutes a vestigial organ.
ReplyDeleteand Im pretty sure that the people who faked those footprints admitted it in writing
'Goose Bumps' in humans have been shown to provide no assistance in maintaining body temperature, since our body hair is too fine.
ReplyDeleteYour argument against the Geologic column provides its own solution: The artefacts were produced over such a time period that the minor erosions that occurred are negligible
Also, according to evolution, we needn't have any vestigial organs, if they have been completely eliminated from our final physical make-up. Like, for example, the gills that start to form on a foetus, only to recede as higher level DNA transforms them into part of the jaw ridge
Finally: Why needs evolution be at odds with the idea of God? Those who initially proposed the idea were excited, not at the thought of disproving God, but at discovering his methods. A static, unchanging world would be boring - especially to an eternal being
His problem is that evolution, and the science that surrounds it, is in odds with his literal reading of the Bible. Evolution requires millions of years; the Bible says the world is a few thousand years. Evolution shapes all forms of life through inherited benificial changes; the Bible says all animals were created 'each after their kind' by a Middle-East tribe's version of a god. And the worst for him is probably that evolution implicitly suggests that no divine hand is necessary to shape life, and he just can't allow God to be crossed out of the equation.
ReplyDeleteHe's been brought up with the idea that the Bible is the inerrrant word of God - therefore, anything that is in contradiction with the scriptures is wrong and must be proven wrong, even if only for his own reassurance.