People Are Realizing That Those Tiny Holes Above Their Ears May Have An Evolutionary Explanation
From time to time, a child is born with some peculiar features. Whether it’s multicolored eyes, two extra fingers, or lack thereof, genetics and birth defects sometimes pose some interesting results. Here’s one you may or may not have noticed: preauricular sinuses. As it turns out, some people have odd little holes above their ears. Some of those who possess this interesting feature doesn’t even know what it is, but there’s an explanation.
A preauricular sinus, also known as a preauricular pit, preauricular tract, and preauricular cyst, is a congenital malformation of the preauricular soft tissues.
This small abnormality was first reported in 1864 in a study by a scientist Van Heusinger. It often occurs in front of the upper ear, usually located just between the face and the cartilage of the ear rim. It can occur on one or both sides of the ears.
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What’s the most peculiar about this is that these holes are connected to the sinus tract that runs under the skin with a short or long and complicated path—something that doesn’t typically happen in humans.
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It is known that these pits run in the family; however, they can also occur spontaneously for an unknown reason.
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The prevalence of it varies. They are most common in East Asian populations, with an incidence of 10%, and less common in people of African descent (4%) and Caucasians (0.5%).
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While a preauricular sinus doesn’t appear to affect a person who has it in any way, it sometimes can get infected and require treatment.
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While it isn’t exactly clear why preauricular sinuses occur, one scientist has an idea. According to one evolutionary biologist, Neil Shubin, these holes could be a remnant of fish gills.
As it turn out, humans and fish may have a lot more in common than we think. Shubin, who wrote a book called “Your Inner Fish”, believes that human ears evolved from fish gills. Fascinating, isn’t it?
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Share on FacebookI read all of that and concluded that there wasn't any explanation, just a statement.
Next time read for comprehension. They show how it moved over time.
Load More Replies...I'm mystified by the fact that this explanation is given. It's not true. It's causes by pharyngeal arches not closing completely during embryonic development of the ear. It's not very rare and accompanies several congenital disorders, that's why you get checked out at birth if you have them (especially if it doesn't run in the family).
According to my sister, who is a neonatal nurse when a baby is born with these pits they look for certain health issues as well.
My mother told me the doctor had poked me with something when i was delivered back in 1946. I never knew anyone else had this. I told my husband to look for this if he ever has to ID me in a morgue. We'll have to change that I see.
Load More Replies...My little cousin has this on both sides of his ears. His entire childhood was plagued with episodic severe inflammation, pain and puss accumulation inside this little holes. Apparently this happens to some people who has this holes. When it happens it looked like he had two red plum growing out the side of his head but he has had it less often as he became older.
I have these actually. Gross story warning, but my mom when I was younger used to squeeze puss out of it. I guess it's cool that I have a unique trait that very few have
I have one but mine is more on the cartilage then before it. My dad has a similar hole in between the side of his nose and his right eye. I thought it was cool but the puss that comes out is really annoying. When I was little I would always complain about my "oozy ear"
I'm so sorry to hear that! Sounds painful. :(
Load More Replies...I'm asian and my parents and 3 brothers and sisters all have this. Growing up I thought everyone did.
Omg! I got such a hole above my right ear. Never met another person with one. This is so cool
So is it 0.1% or 10%? :P I looked it up and apparently it it actually is all three: "Frequency of preauricular sinus differs depending the population: 0.1–0.9% in the US, 0.9% in the UK, and 4–10% in Asia and parts of Africa." [Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preauricular_sinus_and_cyst%5D Fascinating!
That comes from putting soap bars up your bum in the shower.
Load More Replies...I have one on both ears. One side got infected frequently so had it shut down by a procedure
Wow. If these occur in only 0.5% of Caucasian's and I have this as well as Heterochromia, which occurs in 0.5% of ALL races, how rare does that make me? lol
well now we know where harry's gills should have been when he ate that gillyweed...
I have one above my right ear, but I always thought it was just an enlarged pore. You learn something new every day.
Wow! An evolutionary remnant of gills (or however they said it). That's pretty cool! Would not have guessed that was the cause
Yeah, but if they're gonna say that, I wish they would back it up with some evidence to support that theory... We all wanna know why, right?
Load More Replies...I have this in both of my ears. Sometimes my left one seeps out a liquid that smells like death
I have this in both of my ears. Sometimes my left one seeps some kind of liquid that smells like death
I never knew about this, but the fact that it is an evolutionary leftover for fish gills, makes sense because some people are born with multiple nipples. I have a small, third nipple under my right breast. They are usually on the milk line like animals. Fewer than 200,000 people within the United States have them. That's why I believe in evolution.
I have one on one of my ears, cool, knew what it is, but it has never caused an issue. Need to see if my sisters have one at all!
I have one (only on the right ear) and my Mother said her father did as well. I never knew what it was, just that she liked to squeeze it because it was like a pimple and would get clogged with debris.
My wife had one of these (her father has two of them). It has become infected several times. Finally a sinus doctor had to intervene and do surgery to remove it. He said even though he thinks he fixed the problem, there is no guarantee that it won't grow back and resurface again.
I have one of these above my right ear! My mom told me that when I was born they checked me immediately for hearing issues. At the time the doctors explained that there is some sort of link between deafness and having a preauricular sinus. People assume it’s from a piercing.
Yah, yah, yah...lemme know when you can blow smoke rings outta these, then I'll be impressed...lol!
Before babies are born, they are surrounded by fluid. Could that be related?
I don't think I've met anyone with a natural one. I have artificial ones that were put there with a large pointy piece of metal.
So that's called a forward helix piercing?
Load More Replies...I read all of that and concluded that there wasn't any explanation, just a statement.
Next time read for comprehension. They show how it moved over time.
Load More Replies...I'm mystified by the fact that this explanation is given. It's not true. It's causes by pharyngeal arches not closing completely during embryonic development of the ear. It's not very rare and accompanies several congenital disorders, that's why you get checked out at birth if you have them (especially if it doesn't run in the family).
According to my sister, who is a neonatal nurse when a baby is born with these pits they look for certain health issues as well.
My mother told me the doctor had poked me with something when i was delivered back in 1946. I never knew anyone else had this. I told my husband to look for this if he ever has to ID me in a morgue. We'll have to change that I see.
Load More Replies...My little cousin has this on both sides of his ears. His entire childhood was plagued with episodic severe inflammation, pain and puss accumulation inside this little holes. Apparently this happens to some people who has this holes. When it happens it looked like he had two red plum growing out the side of his head but he has had it less often as he became older.
I have these actually. Gross story warning, but my mom when I was younger used to squeeze puss out of it. I guess it's cool that I have a unique trait that very few have
I have one but mine is more on the cartilage then before it. My dad has a similar hole in between the side of his nose and his right eye. I thought it was cool but the puss that comes out is really annoying. When I was little I would always complain about my "oozy ear"
I'm so sorry to hear that! Sounds painful. :(
Load More Replies...I'm asian and my parents and 3 brothers and sisters all have this. Growing up I thought everyone did.
Omg! I got such a hole above my right ear. Never met another person with one. This is so cool
So is it 0.1% or 10%? :P I looked it up and apparently it it actually is all three: "Frequency of preauricular sinus differs depending the population: 0.1–0.9% in the US, 0.9% in the UK, and 4–10% in Asia and parts of Africa." [Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preauricular_sinus_and_cyst%5D Fascinating!
That comes from putting soap bars up your bum in the shower.
Load More Replies...I have one on both ears. One side got infected frequently so had it shut down by a procedure
Wow. If these occur in only 0.5% of Caucasian's and I have this as well as Heterochromia, which occurs in 0.5% of ALL races, how rare does that make me? lol
well now we know where harry's gills should have been when he ate that gillyweed...
I have one above my right ear, but I always thought it was just an enlarged pore. You learn something new every day.
Wow! An evolutionary remnant of gills (or however they said it). That's pretty cool! Would not have guessed that was the cause
Yeah, but if they're gonna say that, I wish they would back it up with some evidence to support that theory... We all wanna know why, right?
Load More Replies...I have this in both of my ears. Sometimes my left one seeps out a liquid that smells like death
I have this in both of my ears. Sometimes my left one seeps some kind of liquid that smells like death
I never knew about this, but the fact that it is an evolutionary leftover for fish gills, makes sense because some people are born with multiple nipples. I have a small, third nipple under my right breast. They are usually on the milk line like animals. Fewer than 200,000 people within the United States have them. That's why I believe in evolution.
I have one on one of my ears, cool, knew what it is, but it has never caused an issue. Need to see if my sisters have one at all!
I have one (only on the right ear) and my Mother said her father did as well. I never knew what it was, just that she liked to squeeze it because it was like a pimple and would get clogged with debris.
My wife had one of these (her father has two of them). It has become infected several times. Finally a sinus doctor had to intervene and do surgery to remove it. He said even though he thinks he fixed the problem, there is no guarantee that it won't grow back and resurface again.
I have one of these above my right ear! My mom told me that when I was born they checked me immediately for hearing issues. At the time the doctors explained that there is some sort of link between deafness and having a preauricular sinus. People assume it’s from a piercing.
Yah, yah, yah...lemme know when you can blow smoke rings outta these, then I'll be impressed...lol!
Before babies are born, they are surrounded by fluid. Could that be related?
I don't think I've met anyone with a natural one. I have artificial ones that were put there with a large pointy piece of metal.
So that's called a forward helix piercing?
Load More Replies...
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