Recently, I have come to find that a lot of people think that humans are the peak of evolution, which is not true by any means. We are constantly making strides to become better adapted to the environment that is constantly changing. Not only does the natural environment affect humans, but so do the interpersonal reactions we encounter on a daily basis, as well as the cultures of other humans. One of my favorite recent evolutions was the loss of the muscle palmaris longus. This muscle is actually absent in only about 15% of the world’s population, but it is more present in our primate relatives because this muscle is for grasping and aids in forearm strength. This is no longer necessary because we do not live in trees and don’t swing from branch to branch. However, since the muscle was so small and nearly negligible that it wasn’t a large change in the anatomy of modern day humans. One can speculate that in some cases, the muscle atrophied and was no longer in use or that just by random mutation that it disappeared.  

Another adaptation is an aversion to things that taste bitter. A lot of the substances that are poisonous to humans are bitter and therefore, humans avoid these substances. One similar that I found while reading one of the articles was how morning sickness is speculated to be an adaptation to help with fetal development. In the early stages of pregnancy, fetal tissue differentiation is occurring and this is a critical time for development to go wrong and be a cause of spontaneous abortion. Morning sickness is the most prevalent in the first trimester and limits the mother’s food intake the most leading to less chance of ingesting foodborne toxins that could hurt and affect the fetus in a way that would cause a miscarriage. A scientist conducted a study that very loosely concluded that women who had more severe morning sickness were less likely to miscarry the fetus, however this is mostly conjecture.

The appendix is a vestigial organ that no longer serves a purpose in present humans. According to the article by Nesse and Williams, this hollow appendage was once used for digestive purposes but is not the case anymore. In fact, this organ can cause death if it becomes inflamed and infected. You would think that natural selection and evolution would remove it from human anatomy but this is not the case. The adaptation seen is a larger, more spacious appendix is selected for. When bacteria starts to grow and cause inflammation, the smaller appendix will have the blood flow cut off much more quickly and have the symptoms of appendicitis set in more quickly leading for less time for medical intervention. Therefore, the larger appendices are more desirable for survival purposes.

Anthropologists continue to learn more and more about humans and the species that preceded them. The combination of all of the various branches and disciplines of this study combine to create a holistic picture of what the true balance between culture and biology is and how one day we may answer some of life’s most pressing questions.