Learn · TED

Talk5 min

Why do humans have a third eyelid?

Dorsa Amir · TED

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About

You know that little pink thing nestled in the corner of your eye? It's actually the remnant of a third eyelid. In humans, it's vestigial, meaning it no longer serves its original purpose. There are several other vestigial structures in the human body, quietly riding along from one of our ancestor species to the next. But why have they stuck around for so long? Dorsa Amir investigates. [Directed by Avi Ofer, narrated by Addison Anderson].

The talk

  1. Why do humans have a third eyelid? 5 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED-Ed
Speaker
Dorsa Amir
Year
2019
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Biology, History, Teaching and learning
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed