Tag Archives: convergent evolution

Researchers Reveal How Electric Fish Evolved Their Shocking Skills Independently at Six Different Times

AUSTIN, Texas — New research demonstrates that the six electric fish lineages, all of which evolved independently, used essentially the same genes and developmental and cellular pathways to make an electricity-generating organ for defense, predation, navigation and communication. (more…)

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Evolutionary study finds neglected fin may have a function

Fin’s emergence in many species challenges assumption that it’s a useless remnant

Adipose fins therefore represent a prime example of convergent evolution and offer a new model for exploring the evolution of vertebrate limbs and appendages, report University of Chicago scientists in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B on March 5. (more…)

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How Evolution Shapes the Geometries of Life

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Why does a mouse’s heart beat about the same number of times in its lifetime as an elephant’s, although the mouse lives about a year, while an elephant sees 70 winters come and go? Why do small plants and animals mature faster than large ones? Why has nature chosen such radically different forms as the loose-limbed beauty of a flowering tree and the fearful symmetry of a tiger? (more…)

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