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inothernews:

This is a fascinating read in today’s WSJ on how parts of the body have changed over the past 5,000 / 10,000 / 50,000 years.  It points out that evolution of the human body not only allowed us to survive - it has actually led to “today’s most pressing health problems, such as cancer, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.” (Subscription may be required, to read this, sorry.)

Among the highlights - and lowlights:

• SKULL Rounder and thinner than 10,000 years ago.
• TEETH Jaws have shrunk faster than teeth in the past 20,000 years; wisdom teeth are gradually fading away.
• EYES Light-sensitive retina lies behind nerves and blood vessels, limiting vision and creating a blind spot
• BLUE EYES Unknown until 10,000 years ago when a single genetic mutation occurred in the Baltic.  More than 500 million people now have them.
• SPINE Walking upright freed arms for many tasks but made for back problems.
• HAIR Gene for coarse hair is spreading though Asia for reasons unknown.
• BRAIN Has shrunk 10% in 5,000 years; reasons unclear.
• EARS 20% of people can wiggle them, a vestige of primate ears that turned toward sound; 10% have a Darwin’s point, a thickening in upper back of outer ear where primates once had pointed ears.
• GOOSE BUMPS Body hair for ape ancestors puffed up in response to cold or fear; the bumps are now useless.  (But quite sexy - ed.)
• APPENDIX Once housed good bacteria, now less needed and often inflamed.
• FEET Little toe, once useful for tree climbing, is shrinking; both men’s and women’s feet have increased four sizes in past century.
• GUT Gene to tolerate lactose arose in Europe about 7,000 years ago and spread rapidly since it provided another food source.  Now 90% of Europeans have it.
• BODY HAIR When and why Homo sapiens lost it is a mystery.  (Well, for most.  -ed.)

Read the whole article here.