Spleen...

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

Amen to that!

[SpiritWarrior]

Originally posted by Illumina Drathiran'ar: I had a teacher who once said the appendix was needed because "cavemen would eat things with all the fur and feathers and small bones still on" and it was needed to.. filter, or help digest... But I admit this teacher has a track record of being wrong, and I would take everything she says with a grain of salt. But for her, and for this discussion, it's not quite so unreasonable

I would agree with her. I believe that we once ate food like dogs and cats (and apes) do, in great and sometimes humanly indigestible lumps. Us humans need to chew our food to digest it properly. If we don't we get all kinds of stomach/digestive tract related problems e.g. cramps, aches, and you got it, bowel...stuff. Basically it is the chewing that draws 'juice' and sends messages (samples if you will) to the digestive system so it can prepare for breakdown. How many times do parents warn children of eating too fast?

Animals do not have to do this. They can rend off chunks of flesh and swallow whole without problems; perfect for consuming a meal in the wild quickly and before either another comes to steal the food or a predator stalks by. We stopped this way of obtaining food as we evolved and so the appendix became ruduntant over 1000's of years. It would be interesting for medical practitionors to monitor the connection between appendix-related problems and foods consumed around the time of arrival.

I theorize they can, given time, be re-activated if the need ever arises. If you were stranded on a desert isle and forced to forage for meat my guess is a gradually re-awakening of this function. Food for thought, eh? (pun intended).

[Smoothie]

of course these are all theories, there is little if any proof of these, perhaps the most proof is from similar species.

some theories on earlobes are increasing hearing etc. of course they still do have one minor or major purpose depending on how you look at it, and that is of an erogenous zone.

[Callum Kerr]

I never really thought about earlobes before

The spleen is the pancreas right?

[Barry the Sprout]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I always thought the pancreas was the pancreas.

[slicer15]

Originally posted by Callum Kerr: I never really thought about earlobes before The spleen is the pancreas right?

No, the pancreas is a different organ.

[WillowIX]

Originally posted by Barry the Sprout: Correct me if I'm wrong but I always thought the pancreas was the pancreas.

LLAO! Couldn't have said it better myself.

Pancreas is responsible for several important metabolic functions, for instance insulin secretion. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

And yes, the earlobes are an erogenous zone. AND a lovely place to put jewelry.

That's it, I'm declaring the earlobes the Official Most Important Part Of The Anatomy for the next... ::glances at watch:: Five seconds....
::pauses::
Well, it was a fun ride while it lasted.