A surprising number of mammal species have a penis bone, or baculum, a bone that doesn't attach to the rest of the skeleton. Many primates have a baculum, even apes, but not humans. There are many reasons that a baculum would be beneficial, all having to do with mating and reproduction, which explains why ancient species developed one and passed it along to the mammals who use it today. Since our near-relatives still have a baculum, it follows that humans must have discarded it somewhere along the evolutionary line. But why?
Scientists still don't know the definitive answer, but the general theory is that we no longer needed it. Men of today would argue about that, considering how much money is spent to fight erectile dysfunction. The latest hypothesis is more about the behavior of women, specifically monogamy, or at least relatively temporary monogamy. Read about the baculum and why humans don't have one at Inverse. -via Damn Interesting
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