Most people develop wisdom teeth by early adulthood. Wisdom teeth can cause pain or crowd out their other teeth, so many people have these teeth removed. Wisdom teeth in modern humans do not perform a crucial life function.

Question

Which statement best describes the importance of wisdom teeth to human evolution?
(1 point)
• They are evidence that humans have never evolved.
• They are evidence that humans cannot evolve.
• They are vestigial structures that never performed a necessary function for human ancestors.
• They are vestigial strucares that once performed an important function for human ancestors.

Answer 1

The statement that best describes the importance of wisdom teeth to human evolution is:

• They are vestigial structures that once performed an important function for human ancestors.

This reflects the idea that wisdom teeth were likely useful for our ancestors who had a different diet that required more chewing, but they are no longer necessary in modern humans.