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This illustration from a 14th century Dutch encyclopedia of animal life shows scientists have been thinking about the fin to limb transition for centuries. Der naturen bloeme/Nationale Bibliotheek
Fish had the genes to adapt to life on land while they were still swimming the seas
Feb. 10, 2021 , 3:30 PM
Almost 700 years ago, Jacob van Maerlant, a Dutch poet, envisioned a fish all set for life on land: It had sprouted arms to hoist itself ashore. Now, three genetic studies make his fantasy look remarkably prescient. Together, the studies suggest that in terms of genes, the aquatic precursors of four-limbed land animals, or tetrapods, were as well-prepared as the Dutch fantasy fish. They were pre-equipped with genes that could be turned to making limbs, efficient air-breathing lungs, and nervous systems tuned to the challenges of life on land.
Mutant zebrafish with extra fin bones may hold clues to how the first animals walked on land sciencemag.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sciencemag.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A new study reports that by changing just a single gene in the zebrafish genetic code, researchers showed they could begin the creation of an entirely new set of bones and joints.
This image shows how mutant zebrafish transform their limbs to be close to human limbs. (Credit: M. Brent Hawkins)
(CN) Experts can engineer zebrafish, well known for their regenerative abilities, to form an entirely new limb-like appendage an amazing feat accomplished by tweaking just a single gene.
As early life on Earth evolved from single microscopic organisms to the wide host of creatures that walk, fly and swim on this planet today, few evolutionary leaps were as critical as the creation of the jointed limb.