Platypus Genome ‘Missing Link’ to Understanding Human Evolution

When the platypus was first discovered, scientists thought it was a hoax. It was just too hard to believe that a duck-billed, egg-laying, otter-footed, beaver-tailed, venomous mammal could really exist. But, it does – and it turns out, the genetic makeup of this strange animal may just clue us in to how humans and other mammals first evolved.

A study of platypus DNA released last May is being examined to see if it can provide insight into our origins.

From Finding Dulcinea:

Jenny Graves, head of the Comparative Genomics Group at the Australian National University, said that sequencing the platypus genome will shed light on human evolution: “Comparing us with the platypus means that we can say something about our common ancestor, which was one of the earliest mammals, so that means that we can ask questions about what happened to make us mammals.”

According to Mark Batzer of Louisiana State University, knowledge of the platypus genome may aid disease prevention research. “This is a huge genetic step. We’re learning a lot about mammalian gene regulation and immune systems. … We hope to, in time, identify the underlying causes and methods of disease prevention in humans.”

It’s a weird twist to the story of a weird animal. Who would have thought that the platypus could prove to be so important to understanding human evolution, and could even be the key to preventing disease? This further confirms my theory that platypi are totally awesome. I mean, really. Look at them. They’re fascinating.

Link [Finding Dulcinea]
Photo credit: State of the Environment Tasmania

A Virtual Toast, in Honor of Darwin’s 200th Birthday

200 years ago today, a man was born who would change scientific thought forever. Charles Darwin was among the first – and certainly the most prominent – to challenge the Biblical view of creation, giving rise to a controversy that still rages on to this day (particularly in America). 2009 is also the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of the Species, which had the single biggest impact on the natural and social sciences of any book written even to this day.  As biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky stated, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.”

Celebrations of Darwin’s birthday are taking place all over the world, with more than 300 planned in Britain alone.  Shrewsbury, the British town where Darwin was born and raised, is holding a month-long celebration of Darwin’s life and work and a permanent exhibition recreating some of his most famous experiments is opening at Down House, his former home near London. A list of events can be found at Darwin200.org.

MSNBC’s Cosmic Log has a detailed analysis of “how evolution evolved”, explaining how Darwin came to formulate his ideas on the origin of life and how evolution has been integrated into modern scientific knowledge.  Scientific American’s January 2009 issue also examined how Darwin’s theory “survives, thrives and reshapes the world” – check it out online.

Those who believe in the literal word-for-word Biblical account of an invisible sky wizard creating earth, Man and everything else in the universe in 7 days may hold contempt for Darwin, but people of science and reason celebrate the contributions he has made to the world. So let’s all raise a glass today to Charles Darwin, a man who not only helped us gain a deeper understanding of how life on Earth began but also inspired so many people to take a closer look at nature.

Link [MSNBC] + [SciAm] + [Darwin200.org]

After Sewage Spill Cleanup, Fish in Lake Washington Evolving in Reverse

While locals were dealing with the fallout from a sewage spill in Lake Washington in the 1960s, the little threespine stickleback fish was evolving. It seems that the cloudy murkiness from the sewage allowed the fish to move beyond its need for armor that protected it from hungry trout. Unfortunately, now that the lake has been cleaned up, the fish has been slowly devolving back to its former state.

From Seattle PI:

By dusting off samples of the fish dating to the 1950s, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and University of Washington on Thursday documented the stickleback’s “reverse evolution” triggered by the cleanup.

“This idea of reverse evolution has only been documented in a few cases in the wild,” said Katie Peichel, an author of the paper in Current Biology and scientist in the Hutch’s Division of Human Biology.

Sticklebacks originally were found in marine waters where they grew bony armor and prickly spines to ward off predators. As they migrated into freshwater and over many years, the widespread fish lost much of its skeletal shields, or plating.

That’s how they looked in Lake Washington — at least until recently.

Scientists have documented the change and done genetic studies on the fish, confirming that the armor transformation was due to genetic changes and not an influx of plated fish from the Puget Sound. It’s a stunning example of how fast some species are able to evolve, but scientists note that we shouldn’t expect such a thing from all species as the world struggles to adjust to global warming:

Take the case of polar bears, which this week were added to the Endangered Species list. The population of bears is too small, habitat needs are too specific, reproduction is too slow, genetic variability is too limited and the melting of the polar sea ice too fast for them to adjust, scientists said.

“Whether or not (polar bears) can find some different way of utilizing the environment and adapting to the changes seems improbable,” Reznick said.

“Polar bears are doomed,” he said. “Sticklebacks may not be.”

Link + Photo Credit [Seattle PI]

Creationist Science Tours: Helping Build Tomorrow’s Crack Ass Backwards Fundamentalist Christians

Fundamental Religious thinking, no matter what religion found in, is the enemy of mankind and the environment. After all, if the world is going to end sometime soon in a rapture of godly light, why on Earth would I take the time to recycle? Global Warming can’t be real, and if it is there’s certainly nothing we can do about it- it’s all part of god’s plan. Fundamentalism is a virus that in part lives on through the indoctrination of children, as seen here in a bit from ABC News on two guys who give tours of modern museums but spew a bullshit young earth creationist spin on the whole thing. It makes me sick to see those little kids looking up at the adults who are filling their head with their Literal Bible propaganda. Blech… And just so our Fundy Muslim friends don’t feel left out- here’s a video of a Koranist (is that a word?) insisting that the Earth is flat because the Koran says so. Link [The Friendly Atheist]