3 ms·
I'm curious about the "garbage collected" theory as there doesn't seem like a lot of selection pressure to remove tails simply due to them not being useful and
by ndsipa_pomu 3y ago
I'm curious about the "garbage collected" theory as there doesn't seem like a lot of selection pressure to remove tails simply due to them not being useful and consuming energy to grow. The appendix is a far more likely candidate for garbage collection as it has no obvious function and can easily cause death if it bursts.
I suspect that there's another reason that apes lost their tails - most likely related to walking on two feet.
Edit: According to this study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6417348/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6417348/), the tailed chap had difficulty/pain when sitting and during other activites
- wizzwizz4 3y ago> The appendix is a far more likely candidate for garbage collection as it has no obvious function Preserving the gut microbiome through diarrhoea and vomiting.
- ndsipa_pomu 3y agoI didn't know about that, but it seems a poor trade-off to me. Acute appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency in the world.
- brohee 3y agoYet most people never suffer it, while I'd assume 100% of the population suffered bouts of vomiting/diarrhea. Looks like the trade-off is alright.
- mcv 3y agoYeah, I suspect a lot more people have experienced diarrhea than appendicitis. If preserving gut bacteria is important enough, then the appendix clearly does have a function. But it might not be that important at all; do people with an appendectomy struggle more to recover from diarrhea?
- cout 3y agoIn that study the tail was not innervated so there would be no way to voluntarily move the tail out of the way when sitting.