​9 body parts you don’t really need (but still have)​

ET Online

Jul 22, 2025

Appendix

It once helped our ancestors digest tough plant fibres. Today, it’s mostly useless—and often removed when inflamed.

Image Source: iStock

Wisdom teeth

These extra molars helped prehistoric humans chew raw plants. Now, they crowd modern jaws and often need surgical removal.

Image Source: iStock

Tailbone (coccyx)

A leftover from when humans had tails. It now serves no real function—except occasional pain after a fall.

Image Source: iStock

Ear muscles

Some people can wiggle their ears—but these muscles no longer help us locate sound like they did in animals.

Image Source: iStock

Body hair

Once used for warmth and sensing insects. Now, we rely on clothes—and most body hair serves no critical function.

Image Source: iStock

Male nipples

Formed before a baby’s sex is determined in the womb. Males don’t need them, but they still show up.

Image Source: iStock

Palmaris longus tendon

Absent in 10–15% of people. It once helped with tree climbing and strong grip. Surgeons now use it in tendon grafts.

Image Source: iStock

Plica semilunaris (third eyelid)

That small pink bump in your eye’s corner is a remnant of a third eyelid found in birds and reptiles.

Image Source: iStock

Tonsils

They help trap germs—but not essential. Many get them removed without any major impact on the immune system.

Image Source: iStock

Thanks For Reading!

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