Science & Technology

Future humans are likely to lose several redundant body parts

By T.K. Randall
August 24, 2025 ·  10 comments

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Our species has evolved a great deal over the years, so it stands to reason that we will continue to change well into the future, albeit in more subtle ways.

In particular, drastic and persistent changes in our diet, environment and lifestyle compared to our ancestors mean that we no longer need things that were once quite important.

One example of this is the tailbone - or coccyx - something that is relatively useless nowadays but that was once an important part of our ability to balance, especially when climbing in trees.

Scientists believe that in the future, this leftover relic will get smaller and may even disappear entirely.The same is true of the appendix - an organ that once helped our ancestors digest cellulose-rich plants but that today seems more of a liability given its vulnerability to appendicitis.

Our ear muscles are another example - these would have once enabled us to change the direction of our ears to aid listening but are today little more than a party trick (if you can even move them at all).

Finally, body hair is something else that serves little purpose.

While it might have once helped us stay warm outside in cold environments, today it is more of a nuisance that a lot of people tend to remove for cosmetic reasons.

In the future, it is quite possible that we will eventually become completely hairless.

Source: The Sun | Comments (10)

Tags: Human, Future