Which came first: "The anus or the mouth?” ponders revered publication The Atlantic
Aux Features Anus
Alright, let’s get into it. We all have them, we all use them everyday (if not, some more fiber in your diet may be necessary). We’re talking about the butthole, sphincter, the back door, if you wanna be crass: the asshole. When you really think about it, it’s amazing. It’s the end of the line for a system of tubes that break down and process everything we put into our mouths. It dates back to our ancestors to 550 million years ago, and we’ve been spittin’ and shittin’ ever since.
So what came first, the anus or the mouth? According to a recent Atlantic article, nailing this down has been tricky for experts of The Behind. Some scientists believe development happened in perfect synchronicity: just two ends of a tube, stretching out and becoming two distinctly different but useful orifices. Another theory follows the pattern that worms have repeated many times throughout history; the gut develops first and then “punches” an anus-shaped tunnel right through our bodies.
Thinking about this too long gives way to the idea of other possible places for our anuses to be located. Also, there’s potential for many, many more anuses than the one humans have now, similar to the root-like systems of the Syllis ramosa and Ramisyllis multicaudata—which have up to thousands of anuses just bursting through their skin. Jinkies. There is evidence to suggest that our digestive tract followed the example of the reproductive system, which already positioned itself near the posterior. But ultimately, the jury’s still out on exactly how we got them.
While many organisms have an anus in some form, what makes us truly special is not our sentience but the cushiony muscles that surround our anus that we have an innate desire to shake. Our buttocks— that’s the true evolutionary beauty here. The way we developed butts is much more clear cut—they resultied from our bipedalism (thanks for the butt, no thanks for the back pain). Any old worm can develop an anus, but we have something that’s not only useful but plentiful in social constructs.
12 Comments
I could swear I once heard that they basically came around the same time… meaning there just used to be one orifice that served both functions. Like a modern day jelly fish. IKR?
Oh you mean like Trump.
I remember someone saying they are basically the same thing. Nature is into re-using successful designs and the asshole is just like the USB port, slap one in anywhere you can.
Is this really what qualifies as a “Great Job” these days, internet?
Frankly this is funnier/more interesting than half the stuff that gets posted in GJI so I’ll take it.
We start as a fertilized egg, that divides into two, four, etc, until it looks kinda like a li’l soccer ball. Then one side of the soccer ball caves in, and that becomes the beginnings of the alimentary canal.In other words, we really are assholes before we are anything else.
What happens next depends on whether you are a protostome or a deuterostome.
Exactly, we are assholes first because we are deuterostomes. Our pals in the protostomes are the other way round.
The “your mom” jokes spawned by the headline’s question boggle the mind. . .
I would have time to read the article, but I am falling behind in my work. My boss will probably kick my butt for being such an ass – maybe to Uranus?Cloaca.
There are several species that have mouths but no anus. I cannot think of any species that has an anus but no mouth. So I’m guessing the mouth was first.