2022---evolutionary-remnants--we-carry-on-5-traces-of-the-past -

"Let's go back to your jaw," Dr. Aris said. "Those [1]. Our ancestors didn't have forks, knives, or fire to soften their food. They chewed on raw roots, tough plants, and raw meat. Their jaws were much larger and wider to accommodate that massive amount of chewing. As we started cooking food and our brains grew larger, our jaws shrank over hundreds of thousands of years. But the genetic code for that third set of molars didn't get the memo. Now, they try to squeeze into a space that is simply too small [1]."

"Wait, so I have a monkey muscle in my arm?" Leo laughed, flexing his wrist. "Let's go back to your jaw," Dr

Dr. Aris smiled, pulling up a stool. "It is not bad design, Leo. It is history. Your body is a living museum. We carry around evolutionary remnants—little traces of the past that were incredibly useful to our ancestors, even if we don't need them much today." Our ancestors didn't have forks, knives, or fire

"Wow," Leo whispered. "I guess I'm carrying around a lot of baggage." As we started cooking food and our brains