Sometimes people are born with deformities but is the human body adapting to modern world with biological changes?
Why are people being born without wisdom teeth?
by Fisherman 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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LongHairGal
FISHERMAN:
That’s a good point. Many years ago I had my wisdom teeth out (they were causing problems).
I remember the doctor saying that very often they are poor quality. So who knows?
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peacefulpete
Our jaws are shorter than archaic homo sapiens. Along with diminished prognathism came the issues of a third set of molars. We are genetically changing but not apparently in response to diet changes, at least not directly. It was thought that our surgical intervention might stimy the adaptive advantage and halt the process, but newer studies suggest the evolutionary process isn't driving a loss of the last set as much as the shape of the jaw which is triggering an inhibitory cascade result. Molars actually release a inhibitory enzyme to the next molar. IOW the shape of the jaw and the number of teeth are directly related. However the inhibitory action is not perfect and many of us still have the third set of molars emerge or worse they don't have room and grow forward crowding the teeth.
The shape of the jaw is the result of our brain size and the reduction in prognathism. That preference to not appear apelike might be in part driven by sexual selection. (better looking guys and gals get more action).
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Queequeg
My Denisovan heritage is pretty obvious. Archaic Homo Sapiens? I prefer Troglodyte.
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resolute Bandicoot
Why are people being born without wisdom teeth?
Obviously it is because they lack wisdom.
RB
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Vidiot
Oof.
Dad joke alert.
😁
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Disillusioned JW
Fisherman, are you starting to see evidence for human evolution?
Actually teeth don't erupt don't erupt till usually around age 18, hence probably the reason they are called "wisdom" teeth. Apparently people are born with them below the top of gum line, or maybe nobody is born with them at all, but that most people eventually grow them. It is unclear to me if virtually all people are born with wisdom teeth in the jaw, with them never erupting in some people now [that is, that in some people they never erupt (protrude above the top top of the gum line) at all]. or, that perhaps no person is born with them in the jaw, and that some people now never grow them.
A search of the internet does shows articles saying a considerable percentage of people are being born without any wisdom teeth at all (or are they saying without ever developing them?). But other searches show articles saying none of us are born with them (not even in the jaw), but they that later most of us grow them and that for most of they the wisdom teeth eventually erupt, but that for some people they never erupt. See https://www.itv.com/news/2020-10-09/rapid-evolution-means-more-babies-being-born-without-wisdom-teeth-and-extra-artery and https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/no-wisdom-teeth.htm .
The first article says the following.
"Babies are being born without wisdom teeth as humans are evolving at a rapid rate, a study has found.Scientists in Australia have discovered that people are undergoing a 'micro-evolution' in which evolutionary changes can be observed over a short period of time.
Dr Teghan Lucas, of Flinders University in Adelaide, said faces are becoming a lot shorter, with smaller jaws meaning there is less room for teeth.
“This is happening in time as we have learnt to use fire and process foods more. A lot of people are just being born without wisdom teeth,” she said.
The research also found that some people are being born with additional bones in their arms and legs as well as shorter faces, or with abnormal connections of two or more bones in their feet.
Dr Lucas said the study suggests that humans are evolving at a faster rate than at any point in the past 250 years."
The second article says the following.
"But some people never develop wisdom teeth; in fact, these teeth don't appear in about 35 percent of the population [source: Spinney]. Are we on an evolutionary track to losing them altogether?
... Third molars develop entirely after birth, the only teeth to do so. Because these teeth aren't present at birth, it may be harder for nature to select against them [source: LePage].
... Because there's a window of time in which there's no third molar ....Wisdom teeth get their name from the time at which they make their appearance at the very back of the mouth, which is usually between the ages of 17 and 25 when a young person is starting to get wise and knowledgeable."
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Vidiot
“… between the ages of 17 and 25 when a young person is starting to get wise and knowledgeable.”
Holy shit.
🙄
Can’t help but wonder if this bit was written by someone between the ages of 17 and 25.
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Diogenesister
Me!!🖐️🖐️👋[hands up waving frantically at the back]
One of my kids also doesn't have them, one has the two upper☺️