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Darwin's tubercle

A human ear with a visible Darwin's tubercle, a small, pointed thickening on the upper rim, highlighted against a dark background.

A small, pointed thickening on the upper rim of the human ear, present in roughly ten per cent of people. Named for Charles Darwin, who illustrated it in The Descent of Man, the tubercle is thought to be a remnant of the pointed ear tip seen in many other primates such as macaques. It has no known function and is inherited as a simple genetic trait.

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