Modern Diseases: Deviations from Nature

Modern Anatomy: A Lack of Development

Use it or lose it: this is a common rule of thumb in the realm of biology. If some tissue is not being used, there is no reason to have it and the body will break it down to save energy. The most common example is muscle; if you don’t work out, or stop working out for a while, odds are that your muscle is breaking down as you read this sentence.

Bones

What people don’t know about the human body is that all of your adult life depends on how you treat yourself for the first two decades. Take bones for example; if you regularly ran around and lifted heavy things as a child then your bones are much stronger than others. Since bone growth stops in your 20s, the amount of stress placed on your skeleton at this age will determine your future.

However, while this stress was the norm for millions of years, it is no longer the case. Thus, when you decide to watch TV for 10 hours a day as a kid, your body automatically stops making your bones stronger. And why would it not? You gave it no reason to develop. As a lifelong experiment, think about what you did in your childhood. As you get older and (inevitably) get age related issues, recall your early years. There will most likely be an obvious mismatch responsible (osteoporosis, in this case).

Wisdom Teeth: A Curious Condition

Another modern issue that is the result of disuse involves wisdom teeth. Most of us know someone who has had their incorrectly developing wisdom teeth removed.  When you think about it, this seemingly common issue makes no sense. Why would a set of teeth selected for over millions of years suddenly become a painful relic compared to an appendix? After all, didn’t we discuss that teeth are subject to the most selective pressure?  Prehistoric human skulls show that wisdom teeth fit perfectly in our ancestors skulls not long ago.

Once again, we turn to the mismatch theory to explain this mystery. The issue with wisdom teeth is that most people do not have large enough jaw bones to fit them. Because of this, they angle inwards and push against your molars, causing severe pain. Now the question becomes, “why are our jaws smaller than ancient humans?”