There is no doubt that today human evolution is still going on. Most of the time, we are talking about very undramatic changes. However, the consequences on our health are not impossible. A recent study has brought to light a growing phenomenon regarding a persistent forearm artery, and that's not exactly good news.
This year, several studies have referred to human evolution. The first estimated that the average height of the human body has changed significantly due to climate change. Another evoked the last major evolution of the thumb dating from 2 million years ago. However, other works of this kind dating from 2020 have gone fairly unnoticed. This is the case of a publication in the Journal of Anatomy , in which researchers from several Australian universities evoke an additional blood vessel present in our forearms. According to scientists, this artery is originally present when the child is still in the mother's womb. Most of the time, this is temporary but sometimes, some people keep it for a month after birth, and even until adulthood.
Only here, the artery temporarily present in our forearms would no longer disappear as often than before. The leaders of the study recall that since the 17th century, anatomists have studied the prevalence of the artery in adults. This was 10% among people born in the mid-1880s, compared to 30% for people born at the end of the 20th century . Thus, the prevalence of the artery is increasing and significantly given the rather short period in question.
The persistence of this blood channel three times higher today that a century and a half ago is an astonishing discovery. This suggests that natural selection favors individuals retaining this extra blood. For scientists, this could be the result of mutations in genes that play a role in the development of the median artery. It could also be health problems in mothers during pregnancy. Either way, a majority of people will have a median artery in their forearm by 2100 , obviously in case the trend continues.
Finally, you should know that this persistent blood channel is not an advantage. The latter does not make our forearms stronger or our fingers more dexterous. In reality, the only noticeable effect is rather harmful because it is about a greater risk of carpal tunnel syndrome . However, it is precisely a disease that makes people less able to use their hands.
