Why do people have ribs? Design or happenstance?

Question

The Bible states God created woman from man's rib. Can the rib be scientifically traced to it's origin? Could this be the missing link?

Answer 1

Ribs are important in protecting your vital organs such as the heart and lungs

Answer 2

Oooops James, you just pissed off lots of women.  No woman was ever created, she self evolved.  Just ask one.  

No.  The rib of a male human cant be traced as the origin of woman.  The thing that is missing here is science.  Not to mention common sense, logic and rationale.

The Christian Bible is not a book of facts.  Certainly not one of biology or evolution facts.

Answer 3

Ribs are structures which in mammals: [1] protect the heart, lungs, and other internal organs of the upper torso, and [2] allow breathing, along with their intercostal muscles which expand the ribcage outwards, and draw air into the lungs.

The scientific origin of the ribcage is that it evolved from outgrowths from the spinal column. Originally they allowed the muscles of fish to contract, and to move the body from side-to-side, and created an efficient swimming mechanism. When lungs evolved, their function changed to allow breathing also.

The Bible (in particular the Old Testament) is a collection of fictional stories wich are, at best, allegories or parables designed to teach us moral lessons about how best to live our lives. And many of the stories don't even do that very well...

One thing is certain: there is no scientific basis behind the Bible tales. If Eve was created from Adam's rib, then she would have been a clone of Adam: how did she end up with 2 X chromosomes instead of 1 X and 1 Y?

Answer 4

Well this is what I know about the rib, many animals have them! Some are even very good eats. I would side with biologists and say that it is neither design or happenstance. It is evolution.

The fact that many species share this sort of homologous (similar) structure supports the concept of shared ancestry: we share a common ancestor with species who have rib cages and other similar traits.

Biologists are able to trace lineages for certain traits, some examples include our cranium size. Evidence for these trait lineages come from the study of the fossil record, the study of current species and the study of genetics. It is therefore feasible (if it already hasn't been done) to trace the origin of the rib cage if the appropriate evidence is available.

The popular concept of 'missing links' is quite distorted. Missing links can be things as simple as a very short sequence of DNA bases shared by many species, or as complex as whole bones and organs. Missing links should not be seen as a very obvious transient organisms (totally different beings: a monkey-fish), but minute changes between very similar organisms.   For example, two species of birds that are very physiologically similar, but they differ in mating songs. The point is that the line between species is often blury.

Answer 5

um yeah. there will never ever be evidence to support that because evolution happened with an egg and sperm. not sperm and rib???

Answer 6

Having ribs was evolutionarily advantageous.  They evolved in the early vertebrates and are still used.

Adam and Eve is a just a silly myth.

Answer 7

what???? dunno what you are talking about

ribs are designed to protect internal organs like lungs and heart and liver and that stuff.

make it a good day.