tooth evolution

**Last Roman** · February 01, 2007, 06:56 PM

I was wondering, I might have to get my wisdom teeth pulled soon. I know most people have their wisdom teeth pulled when they come in. Since modern dentistry, we don't need our wisdoms anymore (most think that they came in useful when a lot of our teeth feel out) will evolution eventually get rid of them or will they continue to come in since we get them pulled out artificially?

**Dulce_et_Decorum_Est** · February 01, 2007, 07:46 PM

The act of removing the teeth will not get rid of them in later generations, no, I'm sure your understanding of the fallacy of Lamarkism will inform you.

However, people without wisdom teeth (and they exist) will not have to undergo an annoying and expensive procedure. It is concievable that this could give them a slight reproductive edge, and thus they would displace those with wisdom teeth, and we would get rid of the regretable atavisms eventually.

**Kscott** · February 01, 2007, 08:33 PM

As people born without wisdom teeth are no more likely to survive, the trait will not disappear. I guess technically the trait could be lost over time, but the chances of that are infinitely small.

**Flavius_Julius** · February 01, 2007, 08:52 PM

Yeah, the disappearance of wisdom teeth through unnatural means is not going to affect our genetic make-up as a species.

**Last Roman** · February 01, 2007, 08:52 PM

ok, that's what I kinda figured, but you wonder weird stuff when high

**Kscott** · February 01, 2007, 08:54 PM

Well if thats the case here ponder this:

Imagine looking through a one way mirror(like the cops have) and straight ahead is another mirror perfectly aligned with the one you are looking through.

Two issues with this. One there is no other occasion when you see two mirrors purely looking into each other. Usually you'd have to be in the room and thus see whatever is in the room reflected. Also as you look straight into the other mirror it is reflecting the non transperant side of the mirror. Im not sure what this means, maybe your vision is blocked by this?

It just blows my mind what one would see in such a scenario.

**Simetrical** · February 01, 2007, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by Kscott

As people born without wisdom teeth are no more likely to survive, the trait will not disappear. I guess technically the trait could be lost over time, but the chances of that are infinitely small.

Not infinitely small at all. In fact, if they don't affect survival, probably they'll disappear eventually due to genetic drift.

Originally Posted by Kscott

Well if thats the case here ponder this:

Imagine looking through a one way mirror(like the cops have) and straight ahead is another mirror perfectly aligned with the one you are looking through.

Two issues with this. One there is no other occasion when you see two mirrors purely looking into each other. Usually you'd have to be in the room and thus see whatever is in the room reflected. Also as you look straight into the other mirror it is reflecting the non transperant side of the mirror. Im not sure what this means, maybe your vision is blocked by this?

It just blows my mind what one would see in such a scenario.

You would see anything in between the mirrors reflected a bunch of times. The rest of it would be reflections of the surrounding area. It wouldn't be particularly impressive, although it might be mildly interesting to inspect the succession of smaller and smaller nested images.

**Kscott** · February 01, 2007, 10:50 PM

Not infinitely small at all. In fact, if they don't affect survival, probably they'll disappear eventually due to genetic drift.

Really? How exactly does this work?

You would see anything in between the mirrors reflected a bunch of times.

But I mean nothing there. That is the purpose of being behind the one way mirror. If directly perpendicular to the mirror you would only see mirror reflecting mirror. In the absence of anything to reflect I wonder what this would look like.

Also this doesn't take into the fact that what you see is reflecting something that you are looking through. I can't really word what I mean here very well.

**Dulce_et_Decorum_Est** · February 02, 2007, 12:16 AM

Originally Posted by Kscott

Really? How exactly does this work?

Any mutations that prevent the formation of wisdom teeth will not be selected against. This means that, over time, they may come to represent a substantial portion of the population. If the population goes through any "squeezes," the effect is more pronounced.

I would not underestimate the effects of selection here, however. The removal of wisdom teeth is an ordeal that cuts into one's time and health. Computer models suggest that even very small advantageous mutations will completely replace the disadvantaged pheonotype in thousands of generations, even if the reproductive advantage is just a fraction of a percent.

But I mean nothing there. That is the purpose of being behind the one way mirror. If directly perpendicular to the mirror you would only see mirror reflecting mirror. In the absence of anything to reflect I wonder what this would look like.

Also this doesn't take into the fact that what you see is reflecting something that you are looking through. I can't really word what I mean here very well.

You would see shiny. Again, not very impressive.

**Mythos** · February 02, 2007, 12:10 PM

It seems that both my sister and me don't have any wisdom teeth.

I have evolved! Eat my evolutionary dust!

**Simetrical** · February 02, 2007, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Kscott

But I mean nothing there. That is the purpose of being behind the one way mirror. If directly perpendicular to the mirror you would only see mirror reflecting mirror. In the absence of anything to reflect I wonder what this would look like.

Sorry, I misspoke. I meant that you'd see anything to the side of the mirrors reflected back and forth a lot. Mirrors don't just reflect things that are directly across from them, they reflect stuff that's angled away too.

Before you suggest it, if you had an entirely mirrored box with absolutely nothing inside, you would see nothing, because there'd be no light source inside. If you put a lightbulb in there, you'd see the lightbulb reflected all over the place, as you'd expect. Really, I doubt it would be any more interesting than just putting two mirrors facing each other and looking in at an angle.

Originally Posted by Kscott

Also this doesn't take into the fact that what you see is reflecting something that you are looking through. I can't really word what I mean here very well.

It still wouldn't look very interesting.