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Vestigiality. In humans, the vermiform appendix is sometimes called a vestigial structure as it has lost much of its ancestral digestive function. Vestigiality is the retention, during the process of evolution, of genetically determined structures or attributes that have lost some or all of the ancestral function in a given species. [1]
Human vestigiality. The muscles connected to the ears of a human do not develop enough to have the same mobility allowed to monkeys. Arrows show the vestigial structure called Darwin's tubercle. In the context of human evolution, vestigiality involves those traits occurring in humans that have lost all or most of their original function through ...
Atavism. Reappearance of a genetic trait once thought extinct. Early embryos of various species display some ancestral features, like the tail on this human embryo. These features normally disappear in later development, but it may not happen if the animal has an atavism. [1][2] In biology, an atavism is a modification of a biological structure ...
Vestigial eye in the extant Rhineura floridana and remnant jugal in the extinct Rhineura hatchery (reclassified as Protorhineura hatcherii). [91] [92] Functionless wings in flightless birds such as ostriches, kiwis, cassowaries, and emus. [93] [94] The presence of the plica semilunaris in the human eye—a vestigial remnant of the nictitating ...
Catarrhines lost the vomeronasal organ (or possibly reduced it to vestigial status). Proconsul was an early genus of catarrhine primates. They had a mixture of Old World monkey and ape characteristics. Proconsul's monkey-like features include thin tooth enamel, a light build with a narrow chest and short forelimbs, and an arboreal quadrupedal ...
In biology, evolution is the process of change in all forms of life over generations, and evolutionary biology is the study of how evolution occurs. Biological populations evolve through genetic changes that correspond to changes in the organisms ' observable traits. Genetic changes include mutations, which are caused by damage or replication ...
Psychological adaptations are those adaptive traits that we consider cognitive or behavioral. These can include conscious social strategies, subconscious emotional responses (guilt, fear, etc.), or the most innate instincts. Evolutionary psychologists consider a number of factors in what determines a psychological adaptation, such as ...
Adaptation is the evolutionary process whereby an organism becomes better able to live in its habitat or habitats. [25][26][27] 2. Adaptedness is the state of being adapted: the degree to which an organism is able to live and reproduce in a given set of habitats. [28]