VESTIGIAL EAR-WIGGLING REFLEX OF HUMANS

Human evolution happened within an extensive period of time. Within this time table many
modifications occur in our development may that be physically, culturally, and behaviorally as a human.
One of the prominent evidence for this development is the different vestigial features we humans still
possess. Vestigial features or structures is being defined as:

“​A vestigial structure is an anatomical feature that no longer seems to have a purpose in the current form
of an organism of the given species. Often, these vestigial structures were organs that performed some
important function in the organism at one point in the past. However, as the population changed due to
natural selection those structures became less and less necessary until they were rendered pretty much
useless. While most of these types of structures would probably disappear over many generations, some
seem to keep being passed down to offspring even though they have no known function.”

There are many examples of these vestigial features that persisted in human today. In his book
The Descent of Man published on 1890, Charles Darwin give a list of what he assumed vestigial features
that exist in human. Such as muscle of the ear, the appendix, the tail bone, body hair, and the semilunar
fold in the corner of the eye.In this paper we will only focus on the vestgial feature wherein some humans
exhibit this kind of trait, the ability to move the mucles in the ear. There aren’t any studies that say for
sure how common ear wiggling is in humans, but anecdotal reports suggest that around 10 to 20 of the
population are ear wigglers.

The ear provides humans not only the ability to hear, but also helps us to maintain a sense
of balance. Special nerve receptors in our ears do respond to the sound waves in our
environment. These functions only rely to the external stimuli being perceived​. ​There are also
even specific muscles in our ears that is responsible for this kind of evolutionary reflex. ​It is the
auricularis that make us capable to wiggle our ears. This muscle is defined by the Merriam
dictionary as the “any of three muscles attaching the cartilage of the external ear to the skull”. It
is by then divided into three parts. The auricularis anterior, superior, and posterior.

The auricular muscles are the “small muscles associated with the auricle, having little
function in humans.” Its three parts, on the other hand has a primary funtions, “auricularis
superior is to draw the auricula of the ear upward and backward. The action of the auricularis
anterior is to draw the auricula forward and upward. The auricularis posterior serves to draw the
auricula backward.”

***** paper

Sources:
http://www.vox.com/2016/3/17/11250962/proof-evolution-vestigial
http://www.livescience.com/52544-vestigial-ear-muscles-try-to-wiggle.html
http://www.livescience.com/33809-wiggle-ears.html
http://genetics.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/wiggling-your-ears
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25468045
- Ear wiggling advances
http://www.livestrong.com/article/389857-what-are-the-functions-of-the-muscles-that-move-the-e
ars/
http://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/auricularis-superior
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077444/
http://io9.gizmodo.com/5829687/10-vestigial-traits-you-didnt-know-you-had

Vestigial structures support the theory of evolution by adding observable evidence to

the model of common ancestry. Vestigial structures are not necessarily without function.
In fact, according to Austin Cline at About.com, it isn't possible to demonstrate that any
anatomical feature serves no purpose. Instead, a vestigial structure is one that shows
clear homology with a similar feature in related organisms but whose purpose is no
longer clear.
(https://www.reference.com/science/vestigial-structures-support-evolution-c9d446999d2
230c7#)

VESTIGIAL EAR-WIGGLING REFLEX OF HUMANS

A ​vestigial structure ​is an anatomical feature that no longer seems to have a purpose
in the current form of an organism of the given species. Often, these vestigial structures
were organs that performed some important function in the organism at one point in the
past. However, as the population changed due to ​natural selection​, those structures
became less and less necessary until they were rendered pretty much useless. While
most of these types of structures would probably disappear over many generations,
some seem to keep being passed down to offspring even though they have no known
function. (​Heather Scoville) -
http://evolution.about.com/od/evidence/g/Vestigial-Structures.htm

Charles Darwin listed a number of putative human vestigial features, which he termed
rudimentary, in ​The Descent of Man (1890). These included the ​muscles of the ear​, ​wisdom
teeth​, the ​appendix​, the ​tail bone​, ​body hair​, and the ​semilunar fold in the corner of the ​eye​.
Darwin also commented on the sporadic nature of many vestigial features, particularly
musculature. Making reference to the work of the anatomist ​William Turner​, Darwin
highlighted a number of sporadic muscles which he identified as vestigial remnants of the
panniculus carnosus​, particularly the ​sternalis muscle

*In his book The Descent of Man published on 1890, Charles Darwin give a list of
what he assumed vestigial features that exist in human. Such as muscle of the ear,
the appendix, the tail bone, body hair, and the semilunar fold in the corner of the
eye. (​ Darwin C, ​The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex,​ London: John Murray, 1890)

There aren’t any studies that say for sure how common ear wiggling is in
humans, but anecdotal reports suggest that around 10 to 20 of the population are
ear wigglers. (​Brooke  Borel,  Life's  Little  Mysteries  Contributor  |  March  30,  2012  07:46pm 
ET) - http://www.livescience.com/33809-wiggle-ears.html

MERRIAM DICTIONARY

:​ any of three muscles attaching the cartilage of the external ear to the skull:​a​ ​or
auricularis anterior​ ​:​ one that arises from the ​galea aponeurotica​, inserts into the
helix, and acts to protract the external ear​b​ ​or​ ​auricularis superior​ ​:​ one that arises
from the galea aponeurotica, inserts into the cranial surface of the ​pinna​, and acts to
elevate the external ear​c​ ​or​ ​auricularis posterior​ ​:​ one that arises from the ​mastoid
process​, inserts into the cranial surface of the concha, and acts to retract the external
ear

*It is the auricularis that make us capable to wiggle our ears. This muscle is defined by the
Merriam dictionary as the “​any of three muscles attaching the cartilage of the external ear
to the skull”. It is by then divided into three parts. The auricularis anterior, superior, and
posterior.

auricular muscles
[TA]
small muscles associated with the auricle, having little function in humans.
Synonym(s): ​musculi auriculares​ [TA]
For Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary:

auricular muscles. (n.d.) ​Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary.​ (2012). Retrieved December 2 2016 from
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/auricular+muscles

The ear provides humans not only the ability to hear, but also helps us to maintain a sense of balance. Both functions
rely on specialized nerve receptors that respond to sound waves or changes in movement. (​Medically Reviewed on
January 14, 2015 by ​Healthline Medical Team​)

* special nerve receptors in our ears do respond to the sound waves in our environment
and these to function only rely to the external stimuli being perceived.
to these stimuli

The primary action of the auricularis superior is to draw the auricula of the ear upward and
backward. The action of the auricularis anterior is to draw the auricula forward and upward. The
auricularis posterior serves to draw the auricula backward.

*the primary function of the

After that beautiful set up, the unfortunate answer is we don’t know. We could find only one study
that directly addressed your question and it’s from 1949! (Click ​here ​and scroll to page 620 if you
want to see the original study.)

This study concluded that ear wiggling could only be passed down if one or both parents could wiggle
their ears. This is called a ​dominant ​trait.

BUT, the researchers in this study also found cases where parents of ear-wigglers couldn’t wiggle! So,
it was clear that ear wiggling was not a simple inherited trait.

It could be that having an ear-wiggling gene doesn’t guarantee your ear wiggling ability. Or that
multiple genes can affect ear-wiggling ability. Or that having them just make it easier to learn to
wiggle your ears. Or about one hundred other possibilities…
(​http://genetics.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/wiggling-your-ears​)
*The question if these kind of trait is inherited is only addressed by a study conducted in 1949.
They arrived in the conclusion that “​ear wiggling could only be passed down if one or both parents
could wiggle their ea​rs”. Making this trait as a dominant one. But then the researchers also found
out that some parents of the ear-wigglers couldn’t do the same. “It ​ could be that having an
ear-wiggling gene doesn’t guarantee your ear wiggling ability.” Or that multiple genes can affect
ear-wiggling ability. Or that having them just make it easier to learn to wiggle your ear. ​Thus, it is
clear that this kind of reflex was not just a simple inherited trait.

The Human Lineage

2009 By Matt Cartmill, Fred H. Smith

These muscles are vestigial, meaning they're remnants of evolution that once had a
purpose but no longer do. However, humans may be able to repurpose these useless
muscles for their own uses, according to Steven Hackley, a psychologist at the
University of Missouri and author of a new review of research on the forgotten muscles
in the journal ​Psychophysiology​. For one, these muscles activate in response to positive
emotions, for reasons nobody truly understands. This odd fact creates a handy tool for
psychologists seeking an objective way to measure emotion.

*This remnants of evolution, serves no purpose any longer as it was said a while ago,
but recent studies shows that they might have gain another role that is substantial in our
life. A new research on the forgotten muscles in a journal conducted by a psychologist
of the University of Missouri, Steven Hackley. He studied about the relationship of our
ear muscles to our emotions, on how “these muscles activate in response to positive
emotions, for reasons nobody truly understands.”
Whatever the reason for this odd muscle activation, it's useful for psychologists.
Self-reported emotion questionnaires can be inaccurate if people lie or aren't even
aware of subtle emotions. Muscle responses don't like.

Researchers have found that people have an elevated "startle" response —

measured by the twitching of muscles below the eye — when they're
experiencing a negative mood rather than a positive mood

*The muscles in our ears move when we experience a strong stimuli from the
environment. According to the research “people have an elevated "startle" response —
measured by the twitching of muscles below the eye — when they're experiencing a
negative mood rather than a positive mood.”

About a decade ago, psychologists tried to find this same response in the
vestigial auricularis posterior muscle, which sits right behind the ​ear​ and
attaches at the ear's base. Unexpectedly, the auricularis posterior doesn't
respond more strongly when a person is in a bad mood; instead, its response is
strongest when people are at their happiest.

*The auricularis posterior muscle, “which sits right behind the ear and attaches at the
ear's base” was being studied by psychologists on how they respond with different
stimulus. They found out that “the auricularis posterior respond highly when people feel
happy and moderately when they are not in the mood.”

*The auricularis posterior reflex is still too weak to actually move the ear even with those
who are capable to do it. At first, Hackley said, “researchers thought this muscle's
engagement during happiness had to do with nursing: Perhaps some ancestor's infants
learned to pull their ears back and out of the way while suckling, thus associating the
muscle movement with the pleasure of food.”
*The nursing hypothesis has been debunk when experiments results doesn’t approve it.
Hackley, tried to look it on the other perspective and he found out that, “the tiny ear
muscles are linked to the facial muscles that pull the mouth into a smile, grin big, and
you'll feel your ears retract. Perhaps the feeling of happiness primes the smile muscles
for action, including the useless auricularis posterior.”

But experiments found no evidence for this nursing hypothesis. Now, Hackley is looking
in a different direction. The tiny ear muscles are linked to the facial muscles that pull the
mouth into a smile, grin big, and you'll feel your ears retract. Perhaps the feeling of
happiness primes the smile muscles for action, including the useless auricularis
posterior.

And then there are the educational implications: This muscle reflex is new evidence
against the notion of creationism or intelligent design, Hackley said.

"According to intelligent design and creationism, our body was designed by a being with
perfect intelligence," he said. "If that were the case, why would he put circuits in our
brains that don't work? Why would you put circuits in our brain which are useful for
lemurs that are useless for humans?"

*The most remarkable implication of this vestigial trait is its contribution to education as
an evidence against the notion of creationism or intelligent design. As we all know that
intelligent design is the theory that “holds certain features of the universe and of living
things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as
natural selection.” And according to Hackley, this gives our vestigial reflex a purpose as
being the evidence against intelligent design.
There's another, perhaps more provocative implication to these pointless ear muscles,
Hackley said: They're evidence against ​intelligent design​.

Recovery after brain insult is variable. Research has shown that activation of
higher-order cognitive processes create larger gains in recovery than repetitive tasks,
most likely due to neuroplasticity. That is, neuroplasticity is promoted by task
complexity.

Ear wiggling is a rare skill among humans yet may activate and promote advanced
recovery after a brain injury. Increased cognitive complexity of learning a new task could
allow insights into plasticity in learning new motor tasks and the role of cognitive
complexity in learning that task.

The broader potential impact of the proposed hypothesis is that ear wiggling could be
used for improving the recovery of TBI or stroke subjects via neuroplasticity processes.

*Another study was done by Jerome Maller, a researcher of the ​National Trauma Research
Institute, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre and The Alfred & Monash University Central
Clinical School. His research shown that neuroplasticity is enhanced by how complex a task is.
That the “​activation of higher-order cognitive processes create larger gains in recovery
than repetitive tasks, most likely due to neuroplasticity.”

*he hypothesized that “ear wiggling could be used for the faster recovery from a
traumatic brain injury or stroke subjects via neuroplasticity processes. According to
him, “Ear wiggling is a rare skill among humans yet may activate and promote advanced
recovery after a brain injury. Increased cognitive complexity of learning a new task could
allow insights into plasticity in learning new motor tasks and the role of cognitive
complexity in learning that task.”

Some of the most delightful reminders of the common ancestry we

share with other animals, they show that the building blocks of the
human body predate our species by hundreds of millions of years.
*instead they serves as the “building blocks of the human body
predate our species by hundreds of millions of years.” They are
truly the most delightful reminders that we long time ago
descended from a common ancestor.

// ​http://www.intelligentdesign.org/whatisid.php

// ​http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/psyp.12501/full

Evidence for a
vestigial
pinna-orienting
system in
humans
Authors
● Steven A. Hackley
○

● First published: 24 July 2015​Full publication history

● DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12501​View/save citation