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If yes, why do we (men) still have nipples? Are they getting smaller through time?
Male nipples aren't selected against. They are useless, but not a liability.
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If yes, why do we (men) still have nipples? Are they getting smaller through time?
Doubtful: they'd only get smaller if there was any reason for them to. Since there's no real detriment in male nipples, there's no selection pressure affecting them.
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Doubtful: they'd only get smaller if there was any reason for them to. Since there's no real detriment in male nipples, there's no selection pressure affecting them.
They could also get smaller because there was no reason for them to get bigger.
Hmm... do all male mammals have nipples?
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The inner ear bones of a human being are vestiges of a reptile jaw articulation.
The jaw is a vestige of what was once a gill arch.
And so on...
In the absence of an absolutely clear definfinition for "vestigial" and the lack of a bright line distinction between that which has some (known) use and that which does not, it makes it hard to make absolute statements about vestigial structures.
Every animal has something of its history written into its structure.
Quite possibly the male nipples are linked to some gene in a way that makes them very difficult to eliminate. They dont cause any problems anyway, so no selective pressure against them, the way there is for wisdom teeth, or would be if we didnt have dentists.
I think Juv has some sort of idea he is getting at with regard to vestigial organs. I hope he will just state it clearly, rather than asking cryptic questions.
They could also get smaller because there was no reason for them to get bigger.
But likewise, they could get bigger, because there's no reason for them to get smaller. Overall, they stay the same, no?
Originally Posted by Naraoia
Hmm... do all male mammals have nipples?
I'd imagine so, though there's probably some obscure species of field mouse whose males don't get nipples .
Originally Posted by juvenissun
Does every animal have more or less one or more useless organ? If so, why are we not loaded with useless (but not liable) organs?
Vestigial traits tend to adopt some other function than their original, if only because a useful vestige is better than a useless one. Problem is, male nipples are so pointless that there's not much they can be adapted for.
Whale legs have lost their primary role, but have adopted a secondary, supportive role: they help with the reproductive system. They're vestiges, but they are retained because they have some useful function, however minor.
__________________ "I am a scientist... when I find evidence that my theories are wrong, it is as exciting as if the evidence proved them right."
- Stargate: SG1
A scientific man ought to have no wishes, no affections, -- a mere heart of stone.
- Charles Darwin
You don't use science to show that you're right, you use science to become right.
They could also get smaller because there was no reason for them to get bigger.
Hmm... do all male mammals have nipples?
No.
platypuses has no nipples (Mail or Female)
Mail horses don't have them (That I know of)
Also some times men (and women) can be born without nipples. Breast Cancer 101 - Breast Anatomy
So no, not ALL male mammals have nipples.
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