Organs of the Human Body Which No One Knows the Purpose of

9 Organs of the Human Body Which No One Knows the Purpose of

Even now in the 21st century, there are certain organs in the human body whose functions scientists still don’t fully comprehend.

We at Bright Side decided to tell you about a few of those parts of the body that most of us have heard about but could never understand what their purposes were.

The epiphysis

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This gland produces the hormone melatonin. It’s produced only when it’s dark and is regulated by the body’s circadian rhythms.

Some fish, amphibians, and reptiles have a parietal (or third) eye instead of an epiphysis. It perceives different levels of light intensity but cannot produce images. It has a retina and the equivalent of a lens, but its functions are comparable to those of the epiphysis in humans: the regulation of circadian rhythms.

It’s entirely possible that when esoterics talk about the third eye, they have the epiphysis in mind. But for us, the epiphysis no longer has any function comparable to the eyes.

The tailbone

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Many people know that the tailbone in the human body is a vestigial tail, but few know about its significant number of important functions. It helps to fix in place many different muscles and ligaments that are required for the functioning of the intestines and the genitourinary system.

In addition, the tailbone plays a role in distributing physical loads correctly when you change the position of your body.

The appendix

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There are certain kinds of bacteria that live within herbivorous animals which help the latter digest cellulose. In humans, however, such bacteria are much less significant. The appendix, of course, is always at risk of becoming inflamed, in which case it requires urgent removal. It’s because of this that removing the appendix at birth was for a long time a standard policy in the USA. However, it turned out that children were then susceptible to slower physical and mental development and became sick more often.

The appendix is a kind of unique "farm" of useful bacteria which live inside our intestines. People who have had their appendix removed often find it more difficult to recover from being poisoned, and their immunity is often weaker.

The tonsils (glands)

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The tonsils are an accumulation of adenoid tissue located in the epipharynx. They protect us from bacteria and viruses that we breathe in on a daily basis in large quantities.

Sometimes, if the tonsils remain inflamed for a long time, they can themselves become a source of infection rather than continue to protect the body. It is on these occasions that doctors usually recommend removing them.

The full immunological role of the tonsils remains, however, not entirely understood.

Nipples on men

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The appearance of nipples is connected with the fact that, right after conception, the Y-chromosome is inactive, and so all embryos begin their development in the same way. It is only during the second month of development that the genes are "turned on." At this point, the first sex glands in males turn into testes and begin to produce male sex hormones. A significant amount of restructuring consequently takes place. However, the nipples remain in place.

The spleen

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The spleen was once dubbed “a complete mystery.“ Its functions are still not completely understood. Nevertheless, we do know the following:

It produces lymphocytes and antibodies;

It gets rid of old red blood cells, the remains of which are sent to the liver;

It serves as a ”depot" for blood, which is released when the body copes with large physical loads.

The paranasal sinus

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There is still no unanimous opinion regarding the functions of the paranasal sinus. According to different theories, the sinuses help to:

Reduce the relative weight of the bones in the skull;Produce a person’s voice, acting as a soundboard;Mitigate trauma by acting as a shock absorber;Warm up and dampen the air we breathe in.

The thymus/thymic gland

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In the thymus, T cells are formed that combat viruses and infections. This process is most intensive in the first two to three years of life, and then its functions begin to decline. By the age of 30, the thymus stops functioning almost completely, and in elderly people there’s almost no trace left of it.

The vomeronasal organ

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This organ is very well developed in animals. With its help, they can perceive volatile chemicals, which isn’t possible with an ordinary sense of smell. Animals also use it to pick up pheromones. Perhaps you’ve noticed your cat sniffing at something with its mouth open? This is all down to the vomeronasal organ.

Human beings also have this organ, but it’s nowhere near as sophisticated as it is in animals and looks like nothing more than a depression in the nasal cavity. Whether it serves any purpose for us remains unknown.

Preview photo credit depositphotos, depositphotos