“Baby, he was born this way”

Here’s some crunchy biology for your Tuesday! Our bodies are covered in vestigial traces of biological functions we’ve long left behind us. Once, we were able to move our ears like monkeys and cats, had tails, and may have even had a third eyelid, much like most reptiles do today.

Ever wondered what your appendix is for? Scientists think it once participated in producing the enzymes that break down plant matter – and no, not the frilly lettuce you’re having for lunch, but hard cellulose like that in grass and wood.

Biologists have long-wondered why our ears are literally surrounded by bands of muscle, and yet scarcely move. They surmise that these muscles are also vestigial, left over from a time when we were by no means at the top of the food chain, and we needed to angle our ears to better collect the sound of an incoming sabre-toothed nasty.

Evidence that we were all once much hairier than we are now? It’s just under your skin- especially noticeable when your hair stands on end, courtesy of millions and millions of tiny muscle strands that once managed our original birthday suits.

Check out some more of our vestigial traits, and where to find them [here].

[Source: io9]