Body PartsLists about your head, shoulders, knees, toes, ligaments, veins, muscles, bones, and all the other visible features and hidden viscera that make up your very own unique body.
The human body is pretty amazing. It's made up of hundreds of parts, each one with an important purpose. But there are some parts which may not have an obvious purpose – for instance, why do men have nipples? There's almost always a reason behind these weird parts of human anatomy.
This list is full of weird human body parts and the reasons why we have them. Some of these are "leftovers," so to speak, from when we used to live in different environments, or from when we were developing in utero. Some of these organs have multiple theories about their actual purpose, and some have been figured out for years. What are the reasons for weird human body parts? Find out below!
There are different theories about the purpose of the uvula, but most scientists agree that it helps us with speech. The uvula can produce massive amounts of saliva very rapidly, and this lubrication is necessary in order to articulate all the complex sounds of human speech.
See why people need to take care of this body part more if they're going to be safe.
Your tonsils are similar to the lymph nodes you have all over your body—they help fight off infections. Tonsils lie at the back of the throat where they can grab germs and stop them from entering your airway. However, the tonsils may become swollen because of an infection. If these infections are chronic, or if a tonsil infection obstructs the airway, the tonsils may need to be removed.
Eyelashes, similar to eyebrows, prevent dirt and debris from getting in your eyes. They also help to keep your eyes moist, by sending the signal that your eyes need to be closed, say, if it's windy.
The appendix is a little dead-end tube that hangs off the large intestine. Scientists previously thought it was a useless organ that may have been necessary for our ancestors but became obsolete. A 2015 study, however, suggested that the appendix may store good bacteria, in case the microbiome in our gut gets out of balance.
Scientists believe that humans lost most of our body hair because we started to hunt in hotter climates, and bare skin was more efficient for keeping cool. We retained hair on our heads, though, to protect our scalps from direct sunlight. When head hair bears the brunt of the heat, it's easier for sweat to cool you off.
