Are Humans still Evolving?

Evolution is a continuous process.

The first formed organisms like Protists (bacteria) are now evolved into a stunning species - Homo sapiens. Evolution occurs due to natural selection, mutation and genetic drift.

Evolution of median artery ( Image source: Pinterest)

Recently, A research conducted by Dr. Teghan lucas at Flinders University and Professor Maciej Henneberg and Dr. Jaliya kumaratilakw at the University of Adelaide published in the Journal of Anatomy shows that significant increase in the presence of the median artery.

The Arteries are the blood vessels which carry blood from the heart and supplies it to other organs.

The median artery is a type of artery which are found in humans and other animals. When this artery present in the body, it is found in the forearm between Radial artery and Ulnar artery.

So, this artery supplies blood to the forearm and hand. It is first formed in mother womb and disappears during gestation. It is later replaced by the radial and ulnar arteries.

In some people, this median artery still appears after their birth. It is now present in about 35% people and researchers predict that people born after 80 years will carry median artery if the evolution continues.

This is a micro evolution and the median artery evolution still shows that humans are evolving.

This third artery causes zero problems. It offers benefits like increase in the overall blood supply and can be used as a replacement in surgical procedures in other parts of the human body.

The researchers also says that human anatomy is changing over time. The increasing absence of Wisdom teeth, prevalence of the fabella (small bone in the back of knee joint) shows the evidence of further human evolution.

Reference: The Journal of anatomy. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13224