The difference between atavism and rudiment. Vestigial organs

Rudiments and atavisms - proof of evolution?

Materialists see evidence of evolution in rudiments and atavisms. Materialists call rudiments (Latin rudimentum - rudiment, initial stage) organs that have fewer capabilities compared to similar organs in other creatures, which is perceived as a loss of their basic meaning over time. For example, many birds fly with the help of their wings, and ostriches use their wings to maintain balance while running, shake off insects, courtship dances, etc. One of the most famous human rudiments is the coccyx, mistaken for the remnant of the tail.

The term “atavism” has now fallen out of scientific use, but it continues to be used outside academic circles. Atavism (lat. atavismus, from atavis - ancestor) is understood as the presence in an individual of characteristics characteristic of supposedly distant ancestors. For example, in a person it is hairline on parts of the body where it is not usually found.

At first glance, especially if you believe in evolution, rudiments and atavisms may well serve as confirmation of Darwin's theory. However, they are also well explained by the concept of creation.

In the second half of the 19th century. Along with the growing popularity of the theory of evolution, interest in everything that confirmed it in one way or another increased. Charles Darwin, already widely known at that time, in his book “The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection” (1871) listed a number of organs that he classified as vestigial. IN late XIX V. – early 20th century Many scientists enthusiastically searched for “unnecessary” organs in the human body. And they were delighted that there were many of them - about two hundred. However, over time, their list began to thin out, as their beneficial properties: some organs produced the necessary hormones, others began to work under certain external conditions, others were needed for certain stage development of the body, the fourth acted as a reserve. Therefore, most likely, the concept of “rudiment” will soon be revised.

Here is what, for example, is written about the coccyx in the Wikipedia encyclopedia: “The coccyx has a rather important functional value. The anterior sections of the coccyx serve as attachments for muscles and ligaments... In addition, the coccyx plays a role in the distribution physical activity on anatomical structures pelvis, serving as an important point of support... when a sitting person bends over.” And here’s what you can read about the appendix there: “The appendix is... a kind of “farm” where beneficial microorganisms multiply... The appendix plays a life-saving role in preserving the microflora.”

Rice. The organs, which today are called rudiments, each play their own role in the functioning of the body.

That is, the organs, considered rudiments, each play their own role in the functioning of the body. Try to take away the wings of an ostrich. Will this living creature be better or worse without them? The answer is obvious: the ostrich needs wings, although they are less functional than those of flying birds. If the rudiments are needed by the organism, then they do not prove evolution! Now if only in our body were completely found unnecessary elements as remnants of development “from simple to complex”, then this would be a significant confirmation of Darwin’s theory. However, all creatures have an optimal functional structure, and each is harmonious in its own way, pointing to the Author who created it.

As for atavisms, that's a different story. The fact is that this term is no longer entirely scientific, and therefore ambiguous. Let's take hair for example. They are needed for thermoregulation, protect against friction, microtrauma, irritation, diaper rash... They also play an important role in the functioning of the skin. Next to hair follicle sweat and sebaceous glands. Excretory ducts of some sweat and most sebaceous glands come to the surface of the skin along with the hair. Sebum prevents the development of microorganisms, softens the skin and gives it elasticity. However, if a person’s entire body is covered with hair, then materialists call this pathology atavism and associate it with distant ancestors. Why? Yes, because monkeys and many other animals are completely covered with hair. But wool, although similar to human hair, is significantly different from it. Excessive hairiness in people is simply a disease well known to doctors under the name hypertrichosis.

Echoes of “our animal past” also include additional underdeveloped nipples, which are sometimes found in humans. Although these nipples are clearly human, and not cow or monkey. Some materialists also consider the “tail” – a rare extension in people in the coccyx area – to be an atavism. But in fact, such outgrowths from the human body are not a tail, like the tails of animals. This extension represents a tumor, growth, or cyst. That is, it is a disease often known as the coccygeal tract. At the same time, for some reason, materialists are not embarrassed by the fact that there are no people with scales, gills, wings, feathers and fins... And for some reason, evolutionists do not claim that humans had, for example, six-fingered, three-legged and two-headed ancestors, although people are sometimes born with similar deviations.

That is, we see a strange picture: materialists explain some congenital deformities and developmental anomalies, supposedly similar to the signs of our ancestors, by kinship with them, that is, they consider them atavisms. And many other defects, including internal ones, which do not have obvious similarities with the supposed ancestors, are called deviations associated with disturbances in the functioning of the body. Although it is clear that in both cases the cause of pathologies is genetic or hormonal imbalance, which can be caused by a wide variety of external factors. But it is convenient for materialists to apply to a number of defects not the concepts of disease, defect or anomaly, but the term “atavism”, since it fits into the theory of evolution.

Rice. What is often considered an atavism is an anomaly, and not an inheritance from animal ancestors

Despite some similarities, all living beings are unique and perfect in their own way, which is excellent proof that we are created intelligent Creator. And the fact that there is similarity in a number of organs of different living beings indicates that we have the same Creator! He designed his creations for different conditions and for different tasks, but at the same time successful “architectural” and functional solutions were used and repeated, taking into account the nuances of the species.

Of course, there are people who try to find flaws and imperfections in the bodies of living beings. However, their claims to the Creator are easy to verify - all you need to do is surgically correct the found “imperfection” and follow the further fate of the operated creature in different external conditions, comparing with the non-operated one.

Let us note that similar experiments have already taken place in history. Particularly zealous doctors from the beginning of the 20th century. began to “correct nature’s mistakes” by surgically removing healthy, but, as it seemed to them, unnecessary and even dangerous organs. Thus, tens of thousands of people lost their colon, cecum, tonsils, appendix... This practice was stopped only when doctors were convinced of negative consequences of his “good” activities.

As you can see, the concepts of “rudiments” and “atavisms” used by materialists do not prove evolution, since this issue can be looked at from a completely different angle. It is obvious that the above creationist opinion scientifically supports the concept of creation.

Artists and thinkers of the Renaissance, following the ancient Greeks, admired expressive forms human body, accuracy and coordination of his movements. Admiration, even reverence can be heard in the words of Leonardo da Vinci: “Look at these beautiful muscles, and if it seems to you that there are a lot of them, try them, reduce them, if they are not enough, add them, but if they are enough, give praise to the First Builder of such a marvelous machine.” In the XVI-XVIII centuries. many researchers continued to believe that studying nature and man was reading a book created by the Creator. It is unlikely that any of them would dare to talk about the imperfection of creation.

Is there really nothing superfluous in our body? The answer to this question was received only in early XIX century, when data accumulated on the structure of not only humans, but also other creatures. Comparative anatomy, which by that time had become an independent discipline, helped to understand that humans are structured according to the same plan as vertebrates. (True, the design according to which God or nature created the world allowed, according to many scientists, countless variations.) Anatomists could not help but notice that the same parts of the body - bones, muscles, internal organs at different organisms vary in size and shape. Sometimes some “details” are completely absent, sometimes they are very small and relatively poorly developed compared to similar parts in other species. Underdeveloped organs that seemed useless began to be called rudimentary or rudiments(from Latin rudimentum - “rudiment”, “first principle”). Apparently, this term was first used in the 80s. XVIII century French naturalist Georges Louis Buffon.

Rudiments were found not only in animals, but also in humans. For example, in the inner corner of the eye there is a barely noticeable fold called the crescent fold. This is the remnant of the third century - nictitating membrane, well developed in reptiles and birds. It serves for lubrication eyeball fat secret, which is secreted by a special gland. In humans, a similar function is performed by the upper and lower eyelids, so the semilunar fold turned out to be superfluous and was reduced (from lat. reductio - “return”) - decreased.

Some bones, muscles, internal organs and their individual parts also turned out to be superfluous. For example, the coccyx bones are the remains of the caudal vertebrae, which have fused, decreased in size and become simpler. Raven-shaped or coracoid (from Greek“coracoides” - “raven-like”), the bone is needed by amphibians, reptiles and birds to attach their forelimbs. Mammals managed without it, and small remains of this bone fused with the scapula. Mammals also lost their cervical ribs - what was left of them was a perforated transverse process of the cervical vertebrae.

A classic example of vestigial human mice is the ear muscles. They are well developed in many mammals and are needed to direct the ears to the source of sound. Another rudimentary human muscle is the pyramidal abdominal muscle. And the notochord, the elastic axis that gave rise to chordates (humans also belong to their phylum), has turned into a gelatinous mass inside the intervertebral discs in humans.

Scientists found more and more “extra organs” in humans, and the assumption of the perfection of the “crown of creation” no longer seemed unshakable. Rudiments did not remain a detail of interest only to anatomists, but served for broad scientific generalizations. Thus, Charles Darwin used them as one of the proofs of the origin of man from animals. He explained the presence of rudiments by the fact that in the course of evolution, some organs shrank and almost disappeared as unnecessary. It follows that man was not created once and for all perfect and unchangeable, but rudiments are only remnants of unnecessary parts of the body that have not yet disappeared. Evolutionary teaching has allowed us to take a fresh look at known facts and clarify which human organs should be considered rudiments.

In 1902, the German anatomist Robert Wiedersheim (1848-1923) published a book in which he listed no less than 107 rudimentary human organs, unsuitable for performing any function or greatly simplified, capable of not functioning fully. The first includes body hair, which cannot protect a person from the cold; a vermiform appendix of the cecum (appendix), unable to digest coarse plant foods; as well as the coccyx, semilunar fold, remnants of the chord, etc. The list of the latter includes the epiphysis - gland internal secretion. Apparently, the pineal gland is a rudiment of the parietal eye, which was present in the most ancient vertebrates. Having lost its main function (vision), it acquired a new one - the production of hormones. It is believed that the most famous rudiment, the appendix, is an organ of the immune system.

In addition to rudiments, scientists identify atavisms(from lat. atavi - “ancestors”) are characteristics lost by humans during evolution and occur as a rare exception. Textbook examples are thick body hair, a tail, and extra nipples. There is also a concept provisional authorities(from lat. provisor - “taking care of something in advance”): only the human embryo has them, and then disappears; their functions are performed by other parts of the body.

The focus of modern biological science is the study of the genome of humans and other living beings. Data on the origin of rudiments will probably help to find out which genes are turned on or, conversely, blocked during the development and reduction of certain organs.

According to the theory of evolution, humans descended from monkeys. Millions of years due this process The appearance, character, and mental capabilities of Homo Sapiens changed, alienating him from his ancestors. The era of technological progress has brought the human species to the highest level of evolutionary development. The presence of common ancestors with the animal world is now presented in the form of rudiments, examples of which will be discussed in this material.

Characteristic

Vestigial organs- certain parts of the body that have lost their original meaning during evolutionary development. Previously performing the leading functions of the body, now they carry out secondary functions. They are laid on initial stage embryonic formation, without fully developing. The rudiments are preserved throughout the life of the individual. The function that they carried during standard development is significantly weakened and lost in their ancestors. Modern world cannot fully explain the essence of the presence of such underdeveloped organs in the physiological structure.

Vestigial organs are the primary evidence of evolution for Charles Darwin, who spent many years observing the animal kingdom before coming to his revolutionary conclusion.

Such body parts directly confirm family ties between extinct and modern representatives of the planet, helping to establish the path historical development organisms. Natural selection, which serves as a basis, removes unnecessary features while improving others.

Examples of rudiments among the animal world:

• bird fibula;
• presence of eyes in underground mammals;
• residual hip bones, partial hair cover of cetaceans.

Rudiments of man

TO vestiges of man include the following:

• coccyx;
• wisdom teeth;
• pyramidal abdominal muscle;
• appendix;
• ear muscles;
• epicanthus;
• blinking ventricle.

Important! Examples of rudiments different people are common. A few tribes and races have such organs, characteristic only of their species. Each example of rudiments in humans can be identified and described in detail to bring clarity to the topic under discussion.

Types of basic rudiments

Coccyx represents lower section spine, including several fused vertebrae. The function of the anterior part of the organ is to attach ligaments and muscles.

Thanks to it, there is a correct, uniform load on the pelvis. The coccyx is an example of a rudimentary tail in modern man, which served as the center of balance.

Wisdom teeth - these are the most belated and obstinate bone formations oral cavity. The original function was to assist in the process of chewing hard, tough food.

Modern human meals include more thermally processed foods, so during evolution the organ has atrophied. Located last in the row, wisdom teeth often come out in people of a conscious age. A common phenomenon is the absence of “eights” and partial eruption.

Morganian ventricle- paired sac-like depressions located in the right and left parts of the larynx. The organs help create a resonant voice. Apparently, they helped the ancestors reproduce certain sounds and protect the larynx.

Appendix- vermiform appendage of the cecum. It helped distant ancestors digest rough food. Currently, its functions have diminished, but the important role of concentrating the formation of beneficial microorganisms has remained. The presence of this organ in humans has a significant negative quality- possibility of inflammation. In this case, it needs to be removed surgically. The microflora after surgery is difficult to restore, and infectious diseases become more frequent.

Ear muscles also belong to the vestigial features surrounding auricle person. Ancient ancestors had the ability to move their ears, enhancing the hearing needed to avoid encounters with predators.

Attention! Intentionally get rid of some listed bodies They are strongly not recommended, because they still perform secondary functions.

Vestigial organs of certain races

Epicanthus - vestigial vertical continuation the upper fold of the eye. Exact reasons and functional features of this organ are not thoroughly known. There are suggestions that the skin fold protected the eyes from weather conditions. Characteristic of the Bushmen.

The pyramidalis abdominis muscle continues the list of vestigial organs, representing a triangular shape muscle tissue. The main function is to tighten the linea alba.

Steatopygia - fat accumulation V upper parts buttocks Has a storage role, like a camel's hump. Characteristic of some African tribes, although this rudiment or pathology is not fully understood.

Human atavisms and differences from rudiments

There are peculiar external signs relationship between the human species and the animal world. Atavism is a sign present among the ancestors, but not inherent in the current species.

Those who encode it are preserved, continuing to pass on its properties to the next generation. They can be called “sleeping”; they awaken only at the birth of individuals with an atavistic trait. This happens when genetic control is lost, or due to external stimulation.

The main difference between atavism serves as the manifestation of traits in individual individuals. Human individual during embryonic development partially follows the path of distant ancestors. At certain weeks, the embryos have gills and tail-like processes. If these signs persist during childbirth, they represent atavism.

Atavisms and rudiments alike serve as evidence theories of evolution, but if the first signs have no functions, then the second ones carry a certain useful value. Some types of this phenomenon can pose a threat to health or disrupt some vital processes. Some people still speculate on the topic: is the appendix a norm in the form of a vestigial organ or an atavism.

Attention! Many atavistic signs are easily removed surgically, making life easier for the wearer.

Examples of atavisms

Many people still confuse atavisms and rudiments, attributing one to the other. The first ones have two types of signs:

• physiological;
• reflexive.

Examples of human atavism should be thoroughly studied so that the difference becomes clearer.

If people do not exhibit external signs of one thing or another, this does not mean that the genes for the signs are absent, but have the ability to manifest themselves in the future.

Atavisms are extremely rare in the population and appear only in cases where ancient ancestral genes unexpectedly appear in humans.

Here are the most common and obvious types of human atavism, making up the following list:

• excessive hairiness;
• protruding tail;
• cleft lip;
• multiple nipples in humans;
• second row of teeth;
• hiccups;
• grasp reflex in newborns.

The listed features clarify the debate among many about whether wisdom teeth, hidden or erupted, are a rudiment or an atavism. They are characteristic of many species, but not all occur. If wisdom teeth or other rudimentary parts of the body were found only in single specimens, then it would be possible classify them as atavism.

We study what rudiments are, examples

12 rudiments in humans

Conclusion

Homo Sapiens - complex organism, having a diverse system of life activity, changing millions of years of evolution. Everyone has examples of their types. The main difference between atavism and rudimentary body parts is that only a few possess them, and a person can easily live without them.

Vestigial organs in humans are direct evidence of his emergence from the animal world. An organ that most people have and performs much fewer functions than in animals is called a rudiment. Not all people distinguish between atavism and rudiment.

A human organ that is found in individual representatives and is obligatory for species unrelated to humans is called atavism. Atavism manifests itself in the “tailedness” of some people. The tail is the tailbone, longer than that of other people. The coccyx of great length does not perform any functions in the body and is often subject to surgical removal for aesthetic reasons. In animals, the long coccyx (tail) serves as protection against insects, and also plays a role in species-specific ethological reactions. A rare fistula in the throat is an atavism. Just like the elongated coccyx, it rarely and is completely useless to some representatives of Homo sapiens increased hairiness and several pairs of mammary glands. But the coccyx of normal length is a rudiment in humans.

The rudiment is laid in the fetus, develops, but at some time stops developing. An example of a vestigial organ is a human wisdom tooth. Human ancestors ate tough food plant foods, therefore the jaw was more massive than that of a person, and the wisdom tooth played a chewing role. When people began to eat softer foods and the size of the cerebral part of the skull increased, nature reduced the size of the jaw, while the wisdom tooth found itself without support and its main function - chewing - ceased to be performed. The function that the tooth began to perform is the place of attachment of the bridge, if it is installed during a person’s life. In some people, wisdom teeth do not grow, in most people they appear in late age(18-25 years old).

Another example of a rudiment is the ear muscles, which in humans are inactive. Total in human body number more than a hundred vestigial organs.

What type of evidence for evolution is the appendix?

The human appendix appears in every representative of the species, which means this organ is a typical rudiment. In herbivorous animals, the appendix is ​​larger in size than in humans, which is associated with the performance of the digestive function. A camel, for example, has a cecal appendage measuring more than a meter in size. In the process of evolutionary development, people began to eat a mixed diet, as a result of which the appendix in humans now does not exceed 10 cm. There has been a lot of debate about the uselessness of the appendix. In some countries, it was removed in infancy so that an adult would not suffer from appendicitis. An example of massive unfounded appendicitis in infants - USA. Later it became clear that the appendix plays a role in immune system, since people after appendectomy were more likely to suffer from infectious diseases.

Although the appendix has lost its original functions, it is the place of formation of microorganisms beneficial to the body. Microorganisms from the manufacturer (appendix) rush into large intestine, where microflora specific to this department is formed. If the appendix is ​​removed, it is difficult for the microflora to return to normal. Thanks to pharmaceuticals this problem has now become solvable. But the appendix has the last fact studied at this time that it is not a useless vestige. It is noticed that malignant tumors more common in people with an organ removed.

During evolution, the vermiform appendage underwent numerous mutations before it became an example of a vestige. Mutations were selected according to the principle of simplification digestive functions, which is what we are seeing today. Development vermiform appendix of this length represents a genetic combination. Atavism is considered a recessive condition allelic genes, manifested morphologically as a case of return to ancestors. Both during the formation of evolution and in modern period, despite the difference in approaches to considering an object for classifying organs according to their evolutionary manifestation, the terms “appendix” and “atavism” were not on the same page.

By studying the appendix from the standpoint of the synthetic theory of evolution, it becomes possible to imagine the life of distant and close human ancestors, to find out why a rudiment always appears and occasionally atavism, and to make assumptions about further mutational variability in humans affecting the appendix of the cecum.

One of the main proofs of the theory of evolution can be observed with your own eyes, since they occur quite often and have been well studied during this time. Signs that appear in an individual and that do not correspond to the currently widespread species are called atavisms. Atavisms- these are traces that have been preserved due to the fact that they were once natural for an individual at a lower stage of development. Over time, the individual improved its functional and external qualities, gradually getting rid of unnecessary features. However, in the genetic code, traces of an individual of the old sample have been preserved, so the possibility of atavisms is not an exception, but a documented fact.

Atavisms are present in an individual from birth, and cannot form over time. Often this is a hereditary trait that is clearly expressed during direct contact.

Atavisms. Brainstorm

Vestigial organs

In addition to atavisms, which are essentially pronounced signs of an individual at a previous stage of development, there are also rudiments. They are essentially undeveloped and unused organs of the body. However, despite the lack of great functional load, vestigial organs are considered signs of the norm appearance every creature. We can only say that over time the need for them will disappear, and their very formation will cease as unnecessary. Atavisms and rudiments are two sides of the same question about the functioning of and.

Atavisms in theoretical evolution

Charles Darwin, the founder of the theory of evolution, considered atavisms and vestiges the main feature that humans and other creatures have evolved over time into other species. Its supporters were so carried away by the idea of ​​​​searching for such non-functioning organs that they identified about two hundred of them in the human body. On at the moment their theories were refuted by evidence that most organs have their own functional purpose. However, this does not exclude the possibility that genetic predisposition to the formation of atavisms and rudiments is inherent in every organism.

Atavisms. Popular science with Anna Urmantseva

Atavisms in animals

There are many quite striking examples of atavisms that occur most often in order to judge their regularity. In the animal world there are atavisms- not uncommon. Examples of atavisms include the wings of flightless birds such as penguins, ostriches and kiwis. An atavism observed in horses can be called an extra toe, which they inherited from their ancestors. However, these atavisms can be called successful, since they found their application in survival conditions and helped creatures adapt to changing conditions.

Human atavisms

The situation with atavisms is much more complicated in. Atavisms are perceived by the human body as part of it and do not bring unnecessary inconvenience, but everyday life this can become a disturbing factor.

Among the most pronounced examples of atavisms are the following:

• the elongated coccyx, also known as the tail process, occurred as a result of the fact that, according to Darwin’s theory, man has common roots with the monkey, which also had a tail;
• thick hair - the abundance of hair on the body and face reveals in a person the signs of his ancestors, which allowed them to exist in various climatic conditions. Over time, this cover began to decrease, however, in some cases, it was transformed into atavism. It is expressed in excess hair on the face (woman's beard) and body (thick, long hair);
• additional pair of nipples - the presence of three pairs of nipples on the body speaks of the origin of man as a mammal. These organs are often not functional, although there are cases when extra mammary glands work along with the main ones.

The difference between rudiments and atavisms in humans

Heart of a Dog - Atavism

Vestigial organs are considered a natural feature of the individual, even though their use is limited. There are several functional rudiments, which, nevertheless, are not atavisms in full meaning words. They are typical for any representative of humanity:

• appendix - despite the myth that it is the most useless for humans, it performs some functions, in particular, it removes a small amount of enzymes that are useless for the body;
• wisdom teeth - appear in people as a result of the fact that in the past the body had a need to change teeth due to using them too quickly. Such teeth were replaced with new ones, but according to the laid down code, the body is still trying to reproduce their presence;
• The tailbone is a residual part of the tail, but it cannot be called completely useless. It is present in all members of the human species and is the norm.
• Ear muscles are also a mandatory norm, but do not carry functions useful for the body.

The emergence of atavisms

The reasons for the occurrence of atavisms lie in the most complex genetic code, which was created by millions of ancestors of an individual. Over time, the individual evolved into new forms, but did not lose the inherent data that remained from past generations. When two individuals meet, each of which has a pronounced tendency to form atavistic and rudimentary organs, the birth of a child with full-fledged signs of atavism is not uncommon. However, the likelihood of encountering carriers with such strong chromosome sets that will lead to the appearance of atavisms is not high. Atavism is considered a rare but regular anomaly in individuals of any species, so the study of atavisms is a successful step.