Fetus Quote by Mary Roach
““human fetuses have a vomeronasal organ, though no one knows whether it’s functional. You can no more ask a fetus about these things than a python. Rawson surmises that the organ is a holdover from “when we were crawling out of the primordial soup,* and we needed to sense the chemicals in the environment and know which ones to go toward or away from.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach, 2009
The vomeronasal organ in fetuses may be a relic from ancient sensory systems, but its current function is uncertain.
In simple terms: Fetal organ might be an evolutionary leftover with unclear purpose.
Key Takeaway
Consider evolutionary remnants when evaluating biology.
Themes
evolution
biology
skepticism
Mood
curious
analytical
Type
scientific
informative
When to use this quote
- medical research
- education
- science communication
Key Concepts
Anatomy
developmental biology
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence would confirm its function?
- How do we prioritize research on vestigial structures?
A Different Perspective
The organ’s relevance today is speculative and may distract from more pressing health issues.
![“[Margot Hentoff] thinks - first of all, she - this I hear from a lot of people beside her. She thinks that men have no business getting into this argument at all unless they're going to be pro-choice. But it turns out that a fair number of fetuses are male, and besides that, we are all one part of…” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/060/nat-hentoff-1615_argument_margot-hentoff-thinks-first-of-all-she-t_42891.jpg)
