# Human design flaws **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 29, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986 "2004-03-29T00:55:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GreyWanderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@GreyWanderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreyWanderer)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/1 "2004-03-29T00:55:38Z")
> [@ThatGuy](#): > > There seems to be an assumption here that someone or something is “designing” nature as efficiently as possible. There are several things on the human body that would be more efficent if there were moved over a few inches ect…the way i see it is things evolve the way they evolve (which is not always perfectly). I know not everyone would want to see this, but can someone link a pic? I’ve never heard this about bulls and it has sparked my intrest. I thought this question should get its own thread. I’m looking for examples at things that could be (easily) improved on a human body. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/2 "2004-03-29T01:04:45Z")
More “generations” of teeth would be cool and feasible. Very rarely this happens naturally. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/3 "2004-03-29T01:14:01Z")
Perhpas it is best said by the PA Dutch. _“We get too soon old and too late smart.”_ ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/4 "2004-03-29T01:15:17Z")
It seems rather poor engineering design to have the air intake system commingled with the food and water intake system. Granted, there are valves and such to keep things going where they’re supposed to go; even so, about 4,000 people choke to death in the United States every year. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/5 "2004-03-29T01:19:08Z")
Obviously we need a better mechanism of killing off / controlling / preventing the development of renegade cells (cancer). The appendix is unecessary, and potentially dangerous if infected. Eyes that don’t lose their elasticity or deform with age would be nice. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/6 "2004-03-29T01:19:15Z")
We waste a good bit of energy growing and maintaining useless organs like the apendex. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/7 "2004-03-29T01:23:56Z")
The retina could be set up the right way around, like it is in molluscs. ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Train\_Song](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Black\_Train\_Song](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Train_Song)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/8 "2004-03-29T01:34:10Z")
I read (I think it was richard dawkins) that the human eye has many design flaws. here’s a link to something that came up on google [human eye](http://www.2think.org/eye.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/9 "2004-03-29T01:43:37Z")
The design of the human back could be improved. We tend to get tired just standing in place. The deficiency of the human back is even more pronounced for pregnant women. There was a whole article on this a couple of years ago in _Scientific American_. ---
**Author:** ![owlofcreamcheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@owlofcreamcheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlofcreamcheese)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/10 "2004-03-29T01:45:46Z")
someone will talk about the eye… at some point. parts of it make good sense, the whole backwards thing is because our eyes get direct sunlight unlike the squid that have a “better desgin”. its not smart, but I can stare at the sun for a while and still retain vision in general, if it was a once and your blind thing we would mostly all go blind in childhood or driveing. parts of the bad design is to make sure the eye lasts on the long term. ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/11 "2004-03-29T01:47:46Z")
> [@kellner](#): > > More “generations” of teeth would be cool and feasible. Very rarely this happens naturally. This is my biggest gripe re: body design. ---
**Author:** ![Spudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Spudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/12 "2004-03-29T01:52:35Z")
Better backs, joints and testicles on the inside would be nice. ---
**Author:** ![Cipherous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Cipherous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cipherous)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/13 "2004-03-29T01:58:18Z")
hmmm I am not sure if Humans were built to last that long. I mean…think about it…if every humans approached perfect design, humans would last alot longer. Which would be kinda of a contradiction because we’d wipe each other out for whatever resources we have left. I think there were meant to be flaws so that there is a balance within us and nature. ---
**Author:** ![Jojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecd19e/32.png) [@Jojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jojo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/14 "2004-03-29T02:02:12Z")
I could use a few inches chopped off my old fella. It’s just_too damn much_. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/15 "2004-03-29T02:30:10Z")
No math coprocessor. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/16 "2004-03-29T02:30:38Z")
The spine! Many of us get lower-back pain or “slipped discs”. The spine works pretty well in quadrupeds, where it’s mostly horizontal, and is fine under tension while you’re hanging from a tree, but it isn’t quite right for standing up and walking around. ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/17 "2004-03-29T02:31:08Z")
You call your nose, “old fella?” How long has it grown? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![fluffball86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@fluffball86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluffball86)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/18 "2004-03-29T02:38:39Z")
The human needs to come with a cold weather variant for those of us who live in Canada. We should have furry feet to keep them warm, a furry neck so that you don’t need a scarf. Furry hands for mittens. Also, an enlarged carpel tunnel, because carpel tunnel is somewhat common. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/19 "2004-03-29T02:38:40Z")
The knee. Although it is a wonder of nature, because it helps us walk erect, it’s also a weak spot. Just ask any athlete. Can we make it bend a little more left and right and not require reconstructive surgery afterwards? ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986/20 "2004-03-29T02:59:56Z")
The obvious example is the prostate. The damned thing forms a complete ring around the urethra. There is no need for this. It would work just as well if it sat beside the urethra. But because it surrounds the urethra when the prostate swells it blocks off the plumbing instead of just pushing it to one side, leading to all sorts of problems. No engineer would ever design a system where a component prone to swelling needlessly surrounds a compressible pipe. It’s like placing the thermostat around the fuel line, so that when the temperature rises it neddlessly causes the engine to stall. It’s just really bad design. But evolution works with what it has to work with. The there is the whole reproductive problem. We have problems giving birth already because we are bipedal. That has caused the pelvis to tilt, which means we give birth by forcing the child though a hole that is at an angle to the direction of travel. That makes the birth canal effectively a lot narrower than in other apes. But just to really make it difficult we developed big brains so that the head is larger than other animals. This is just not a smart move form an engineering point of view. Developing a smaller delivery system and then trying to use it for larger packages. It’s adding insult to injury. But that is what we are stuck with. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-design-flaws/236986.md?page=2)