Our first three sessions will be comprised of a video series, "Your Inner Fish".
This three-part video series, to be shown over the next three weeks. is based upon the based-selling book by paleobiologis Neil Shubin. The videos detail the
sometimes funny, but deeply profound history of human evolution. Please, become actively engaged in the post-showing discussion led by our own
Dr. Ian Renne.
The first video, “Your Inner Fish”, can also be viewed online at the following URL: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/episode-1-your-inner-fish.
See you soon!
Hi everyone! This past Friday we started watching a video called: "Your Inner Fish"
ReplyDeleteIt has this idea that we have a lot in common with fish, and it is something that I actually never thought about. I know we haven't finished watching this video, and I am sure there's so much more we will find out in the next two weeks, but i was just wondering what is your opinion about the fact that human beings resemble fish in so many aspects? and isn't it fascinating that we, humans, have evolved so much since first creatures have appeared on earth.
I also found this concept to be very interesting. When we think of evolution in humans, the first thing that often comes to mind is evolution from primates. However, we often forget that we share similarities with other species as well. The fact that we share so many commonalities with fish is very fascinating, and I look forward to learning more about the topic in the next couple weeks.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's cool that we share similarities with fish but I think that it's a stretch to think that we evolved from from them. Maybe after watching more of then movie I'll change my mind. So far though, this topic is interesting to say the least.
ReplyDeleteLike Amina said, we mostly think of ourselves more evolved from ancestral primates but it is really interesting to think that we share characteristics with fish. When we start developing in the womb we resemble fish. Like the woman in the video, some people might have remnants of parts attributed to fish like the gill slits that normally develop into something different in humans. Really interesting!
ReplyDeleteHumans evolving from fish is far from a stretch. Referring back to Ludmila’s post, embryonic development in fish, humans, and even amphibians have similarities in their appearance. Post-birth, it’s more difficult to see the connection between humans and fish. However, the ‘one bone, two bones, many bones, and digits’ concept is proof that we share a common ancestor (Tiktaalik). It’s remarkable that the bone makeup of the arm in modern humans hasn’t changed much from that of ancient tetrapods after millions of years of evolution. I’m curious to see what role genetic engineering techniques, such as CRISPR, will have in the further evolution of our species.
ReplyDeleteI think we only have upward to go from here, as far as drawing phylogenetic connections between species. We have the "Tree of Life" That was featured in the movie, but I think we have a lot of work to do with figuring out these branches. It's not a far reach to realize that fish and humans have a distant common ancestor, but I think with the advancement of bioinformatic techniques, we will soon be able to map the tree of life easier.
ReplyDeleteHey guys, so this past Friday we fninshed the first section of the movie! After wrcuong it in its entirety, I can see that we do in fact have many similarities with fish. The idea that we evolved from fish isn't so farfetched at at all; but something in my mind is keeping me from buying into the idea 100%. We then started the second portion: your inner amphibian. It seems to have the same idea as the first section, that we have common ancestry with amphibians as well. So far, the topic is interesting and I'm definitely interested in learning more. I won't be so quick to dismiss the idea of shared history this time. What's you guys' take so far?
ReplyDeleteThe second portion of the movie, Your Inner Amphibian, was not convincing to me until the point was made about the Tritheledont discovery. An animal that is a mammal and an amphibian could be a very convincing relative of humans. I am excited to see the implications of the third part of the movie.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amina. Second part wasn't very convincing until they started talking about Tritheledont. It's interesting to see how we are related to different species.I am curious to see what else we can learn from the rest of the series.
ReplyDeleteTo me one of the most impressive things is that these scientists were able to find these organisms that serve as links into how organisms have evolved. Despite the extensive geological and paleontological research done by these scientists, I think it is amazing that they were even able to find these organisms in the first place (large areas to examine and advantageous timing). I would not be surprised if there are more organisms that provide us with even more evolutionary information out there that scientists have not been able to find yet.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ludmila above. When you think about the scope of geological work that had to be done to give these scientists even a slim chance of finding a specimen, you wonder just what else could be out there. Parts of the world are still being mapped in geological surveys, and its very exciting to think about future prospects that will allow geologists and biologists to work together.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t realize we were writing on the same thread… Josh and Ludmila make excellent points. It’s exciting when researchers from multiple disciplines can come together to make a significant discovery. In regards to the second part of the series, I found the differentiation of the teeth in the Gorgonopsid from the reptilian peg like teeth to be quite fascinating. Because of the precision of our bite, we’re stuck with one set of teeth for the rest of our adult lives. I think it’d be cool if we went through a few sets, but then again how would that effect the way we eat?
ReplyDeleteThis past Friday we finished the second part of the "Your Inner Fish" series. We saw that the many discoveries discussed by the work of paleontologists, geneticists, anatomists, and geologists (to name a few), provided a better evolutionary understanding as to how current organisms came to be. Which finding did you find the most interesting and why?
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued by the evolution of the mammalian ear. The ability to detect and distinguish a variety of sounds is an important aspect in our survival, and in our style of communication compared to that of other animals. If the malleus and incus were not formed, I believe we may not have made it this far due to the inability of our early ancestors to detect predators. However, maybe we could have generated an entirely different form of communication.
ReplyDeleteI thought the evolution of color vision was very interesting. Most mammals have only a limited range of color vision. Humans evolved a third opsin for red-green color vision through a series of mutations and duplications of old genes. When this third opsin was implanted in an otherwise color blind spider monkey, the monkey was able to perceive colors that it would not normally detect in nature. This acquisition of color in our early primate relatives was very important for survival.
ReplyDeleteI can't choose between the two, but the evolution of vision and the ear were both interesting to me, as Zac and Amina explained above. The evolution of the mammalian ear is extremely interesting to me. It's incredible that the modern structures we use for hearing developed from those primitive forms and are so crucial for our survival. I was also fascinated by the evolution of color vision; 1 opsin is the reason why we can see and appreciate all the vibrant and beautiful colors in the world. Thank you evolution.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting when the scientist was talking about mammals developing hair and whiskers. Most of the reptiles had no hair follicles, or at least they weren't visible on their skin surface. However, with time, hair became and essential part of the body for some organisms. It's cool that at first hair was serving as a sensory organ, and now it serves as a protection from cold as well. I thought it was pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the late post here guys. But I wanted to pose a question about not just the evolution of primates, but what we could gain to study them in present day. We know that some viruses and diseases have mutated from viruses found in primates, but what about other things? Im curious as to what you guys think we can gain from studying primates in present day, and not just in an evolutionary standpoint, maybe even in the realms of psychology.
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DeleteIt would be interesting to look at societal structures and community roles in primates. Like humans, primates are social, intelligent, and emotional creatures with specific roles in their community based on things like age and rank. Looking more into those aspects will give us a better insight as to why humans function the way they do and even how they go about decision-making.
DeleteI agree with Ludmila. It would be interesting to look at the social interaction of primates, since we are so closely related to them. I think we can learn a lot from animals, and there so much more to be discovered
DeleteI think studying primates can help us find more similarities between ourselves and them. We already know about the evolutionary background between us and primates, but I feel there is much more we can research from a social and psychological background. I think we will find that we are very much alike.
DeleteI agree with Amina. We already know that we descend from primates. Maybe we also inherited their social structure and interactions as well as the fundamental way we solve our problems and even make decisions. I believe that when we study primates, we are studying our primitive selves.
DeleteIt's interesting to relate the actions of other primates to humans. In a book that I haven't got around to reading yet, Sex at Dawn, Christopher Ryan (PhD in Psych.) relates the non-monogamous acts of bonobos (chimps) to primitive hunter-gatherer cultures. He makes an argument that early humans shared similar traits to the bonobos by sharing sexual partners. Humans would raise kids together as a tribe - "it takes a village" - because the father of the offspring was not known. Compared to the negativity surrounding sex today often tied into religious ideologies (having sex out of wedlock or being monogamous or face punishment), I wonder what could have caused this shift?
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