DNA Detective

While introducing the "Handy Genes" chapter about using DNA to find the evolutionary history of organisms, Shubin relates genetic information to physiological features (45).

How does this type of deduction lead to variations in phylogenetic trees? What can be misleading about tracing the past of an organism solely through DNA or solely through physiological features?

Supermodel (Organisms)

Toward the end of "The Meaning of it All," Shubin provides several examples of Nobel Prize-winning studies based on model organisms (198). Pioneering researchers have used these organisms to uncover new biological insights.

What exactly are model organisms? What are the pros and cons of using them?

For procratinators who need more prompt^^:BRAINS!!!

On pg 83, Shubin discusses the head and its chaotic state with the complexity of the nerves. While head as whole provides many interesting discussions, studying brain bringings up even more possible discussions. Please discuss brain's role in the central nervous system, endocrine system, both, or any others which pertain to our study, and discuss from evolutionary perspective why the developement of the brain is more crucial in more complex organisms as opposed to early, primitive organisms.

Kevin jeon
bboybyung@gmail.com

I'm Anxious

In "Tracing Heads," Shubin briefly explains the development of nervous systems from simpler ancestral parts, like a notochord (94).
Although Shubin focuses primarily on the specific trend toward cephalization in this section, his discussion is based on the assumption that our vertebrate nervous system has evolved over time.

How exactly does this nervous system work? How has it changed from our ancestors to vertebrates? What selective pressures in our evolutionary history have favored this development?

- Vincent Fiorentini
(vincent@panatechcomputer.com)

Movement of water in our body

On page 168, while Shubin discusses the effect of alcohol, he mentions the idea of diffusion across a membrane. Refering to our past studies, explain the factors behind the movement of water such as water potentional and concentration gradients. Also, relate how these movement of water effects organisms in environments in which they live as they maintain homeostasis. (i.e. fresh water fish vs salt water fish)

Kevin Jeon
Bboybyung@gamil.com

Invertebrate Phylum

In Chapter 7, Shubin in describing the body building of the organisms and their similarty mentions the choanoflagellates in sponges. Going back to the Invertebrate unit, please discuss different phylums that exist in the unit (Porifera, Cnideria, Platyhelminthes, Nemotoda, Mollusca, Annelida, and Arthropoda) in terms of their body plan, embryonic developement and other physcial characteristics that distinguishes it from other phylums.

Kevin Jeon
Bboybyung@gmail.com

Review of pregnancies

On page 102 of Subin's book, he talks about how a fertilized egg develops into a full grown animal. Using the text book, describe the different stages the cells go through until it latches on into the uterus. Include terminology of endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm and describe what each layer turns into.

Nikhil Pereira (nikhil.pereira3@gmail.com)

EYES (fish vs. humans)

In Chapter 9, Shubin describes the two different kinds of eyes; one kind found in invertebrates and the other found in vertebrates (fish vs. humans). These two types of eyes work to increase the surface area where light is gathered in the eye; invertebrates do such by having many folds in the tissue, while vertebrates lots of tiny projections that extend from the tissue. What are some disadvantages and advantages of having the invertebrate type eye? The vertebrate type eye? Why is it that the vertebrate-type eye is more advantageous to humans?

Sujin Ko (sujinko93@gmail.com)

Sense of Smell

Neil Shubin indicates that a human's sense of smell can capture the scent of a "bell pepper at a concentration of less than one part per trillion". (141) How did the evolution of the acute sense of smell aid individuals in survival? Fish also have a sense of smell which they use to locate and capture food. Explain how the sense of smell evolved to accomodate life on land and how it compares to the sense of smell that a fish has. Is it possible that what we label odorless really has an odor that we can't yet detect? Why is the sense of smell of humans less refined than that of a dog?

Yekaterina Khavkhalyuk (kittykatx93x@yahoo.com)

Skin: The Plastic of Human Bodies

In chapter 4, Neil Shubin explains that skin can be modified to make various structures of an organism, such as teeth, breast, feathers, and hair. He even makes a comparison of this use to plastic, explaining how a single structure is used to make different things, much like how plastic is used to make CDs, bottles, and other products for daily use.

Recall the Reproduction and Development unit.

How does our body develop from a zygote to our full-grown body?

How are organs, such as the brain, developed from our germ layers?

Compare and contrast the embryonic development of a chicken, frog, and a human.

In what ways is our development similar? Different?

Be sure to include terms such as ectoderm, blastopore, primitive streak, etc. in your response.

(Keigo Tanaka; tanakarus3@hotmail.com)

From advantageous to not

In chapter 11, Shubin explains how we run into physical problems due to differences in the structures of our ancestors. Can you think of any genetic diseases or inefficiencies that we suffer from due to our incompatibility with fish? Furthermore, can you think of any characteristics that we currently have that could be a hindrance in the future?

Fishy Disease

As Shubin describes on page 187, humans have many diseases that can affect our body and our lives, such as heart disease and diabetes. Why do humans develop so many diseases (such as heart disease and diabetes)? What does this have to do with our "inner fish"? Why is it that fish do not develop these diesases, whereas humans, who are a more advanced version of fish through many centuries of evolution, encounter these diseases a lot? What is different about the lifestyle of many humans at this point in time versus the lifestyle of a fish? How could these diseases be prevented? Any possibilities of using genetic engineering or other methods? Explain. Shreeraj Patel shreeraj.patel1@gmail.com

Teeth everywhere

On page 78 in Subin's book, he starts to describe the similarities in the formation of hair, feathers, breasts, and teeth. Using outside information, describe the process of each forming. Feel free to talk about the significance of all these exterior structures formed in similar ways.

Nikhil Pereira (nikhil.pereira3@gmail.com)

Embryo to organism

Shubin mentions 4 arches that compose different strictures found in creating a human on page 88. These arches represent gill like formations. In your own words, describe what each arch develops into and what the significance of the fetus taking on a 'gill' structure while developing.

Nikhil Pereira (nikhil.pereira3@gmail.com)

Vision Clarity

On page 151, Neil Shubin provides a diagram of visual clarity between a limpet, a nautilus, a scallop, and a human. As the eye structure becomes more complex, the visual perception of items achieves a new strength in clarity. Explain why certain organisms do not require as much clarity to be considered fit in their environment. Why is visual clarity more important on land than in water?
Talk about light refraction and how it effects the retina in air and in water.

Yekaterina Khavkhalyuk (kittykatx93x@yahoo.com)

The Middle Ear

The middle ear contains the incus, malleus, and stapes, all of which are instrumental in detecting timbre, loudness, and pitch. Neil Shubin mentions that these bones are instrumental to hearing through air but vaguely references that "hearing in water is different from hearing on land...". (164) Discuss the differences in hearing by comparing acoustic structures from land mammals and aquatic mammals. Use the diagram on chapter 50 of the Campbell textbook to review the role of incus, malleus, and stapes and compare specific functions of these bones to similar structures in aquatic mammals.

Yekaterina Khavkhalyuk (kittykatx93x@yahoo.com)

Smelly!

On page 145, Shubin begins the interesting discussion of how jawless fish have very small numbers of odor genes. This is very odd considering that us mammals have over a thousand genes dedicated to odor. How did this "jump" in number of odor genes occur? Also, Shubin talks of how researchers found that us humans have roughly 300 odor genes that have been rendered useless by mutations that cannot be fixed. How did this occur? Explain. Shreeraj Patel shreeraj.patel1@gmail.com

Mitochondrias.

Shubin addresses the vital role the mitochondria plays in the functioning of cells, most importantly the conversion of sugar and oxygen into energy (197). Mitochondria's processes have arose from genetic structures with a bacterial past, and gene mutations can be harmful and cause diseases. How do these genetic mutations happen? Recall the different types of distortions that can happen from the gene unit. How do scientists approach to solve diseases such as cardioencephalomyopathy? Also, incorporate mitochondria's history of endosymbiosis.

Weather

In the afterword, Tiktaalik's habitat is described in greater detail. Did Tiktaalik survive in an arctic habitat, or do the fossils of other organisms show a different past? What was the climate like 375 million years ago? Make a prediction at what could have eradicated Tiktaalik based on climate shifts nearly 400 million years ago. Use information from previous chapters and describe how the characteristics of this "fish" fit the habitat/climate it lived in.

Eryk Fundakowski

arthur2446@comcast.net

Being Bipedal Rocks!

On page 164, Neil Shubin talks about the movement of rocks in the inner ear. What would happen if a human did not have enough rocks to stimulate hair cells? Talk about the evolutionary significance of these rocks and what benefits they provide for bipedal organisms.

Yekaterina Khavkhalyuk (kittykatx93x@yahoo.com)

Light Receptors

On page 153, Shubin relates human eyes to Old World monkeys. Old World monkeys, like us, had 3 different kinds of light receptors that helped them perceive the world around. Explain how these receptors work and why an organism that has developed vision has a distinct advantage over an organism that doesn't. Shreeraj Patel shreeraj.patel1@gmail.com

Combining ears and eyes?

In page 172 of Your Inner Fish, Neil Shubin talks about the jellyfish and how they have eyes with genes that are similar to both Pax 2 and Pax 6 which are present in modern ears and eyes respectively. After that, he also mentions that some birth defects affect both the eye and the inner ear of the infant. Give some examples to these defects, and how they affect the eyes and the ears of a baby. Then discuss how these defects relates to the Pax 2 and Pax 6 genes.

John Park (wisejsm@yahoo.com)

UV, Color, Black and White, and Infrared vision oh my

On page 152, Neil Shubin mentions color and black and white vision. What evolutionary significance does color vision have to humans and why do some animals not have the ability to see in color? Other varieties of vision exist depending on the environment of an organism. Describe how vision varies between two of the followin: deep sea chondrichthys, Arachnids, a honeybee, a dog, and a human. Explain why each type of vision is key in the survival of the respective organism.

Yekaterina Khavkhalyuk (kittykatx93x@yahoo.com)

The law of everything - except some things...

Shubin reveals the biological “law of everything” on page 175. This law states that every living thing on the planet has parents. He also mentions that this can one day be changed thanks to cloning, biological engineering, or some technology yet to be invented. Discuss the implications of artificial birth or creating an organism without parents. What are some advantages to being adjust a creature’s make-up? What are the positive and negative effects that this can have on evolutionary history since, among other reasons, it won’t have a real bloodline to any other creature?

(Alex Sapozhnikov marijio@gmail.com)

Still not blind.

Shubin mentions the advantages of vision (capturing light to process images) in Chapter 9 (148). The ability to see provides organisms such as humans with a great evolutionary advantage, as oppose to an organism without eyes, forced to use other senses by means of getting around such as sharpening their sense of smell. With eyesight, animals gain the ability to be more functional and optimize their ability as scavengers. Discuss how eyes vary among others, such as differences in invertebrates and vertebrates. How has eye structure developed differently overtime in such invertebrates, flies and worms? How is eye structure shared among different species?


Kyle Kim, piece847@gmail.com

Gene Regulation

In chapter five, Shubin mentions that the distinguished body structures of vertebrates are determined through the gene regulation going on in our gill arches through the tissues of our future brain. Describe how genes such as Otx and Hox genes map out a blueprint of our gill arches. Review Campbell of how genes are regulated and describe how specific structures such as the jaw developed and evolved from bony fishes.

Forever Diseased

Chapter 11 includes many examples of diseases that show how humans are the product of a long and unique evolutionary history. Choose a disease and explain how it shows that we are influenced by earlier evolutionary traits. Eryk Fundakowski- arthur2446@comcast.net

Examining the "Blob"

In Chapter 7, Neil Shubin remarks that sponges are an "interesting" specimen, with its body consisting of silica and collagen. Even though their body structures are relatively simple, Shubin explains that their body reveals much about our own bodybuilding apparatus. Its cells have a division of labor, the cells can communicate with one another, and the array of cells function as a single individual, much like our human body. In this way, Neil Shubin emphasizes the possibilities of discovering our past through observations on other organisms.

Recall the Invertebrate and Vertebrate Unit:

Compare and contrast Vertebrates and Invertebrates.

What greatly differentiates us(vertebrates) from invertebrates, such as sponges?

What similarities do we share with invertebrates?

Consider the theme of Evolution:

What are specific structures/mechanisms that only vertebrates have developed?

What are specific structures/mechanisms that only invertebrates have developed?

Why was the development of these structures/mechanisms necessary to survive?

(Keigo Tanaka; tanakarus3@hotmail.com)

Do We Got Time?

On page 121, Shubin describes how much time the first organisms had to evolve into different multicellular organisms which soon turned into today's organisms. Many landmark events occurred to stimulate the "production" of multicellular organisms. Using outside resources, discuss which events in the history of the Earth led to the evolution of unicellular to multicellular organisms. Why would these certain events cause this change? Did these events change living conditions? Why would the change from unicellular to multicellular organisms be an advantage in evolution after these events? Shreeraj Patel shreeraj.patel1@gmail.com

Bozo family and Haplogroups

The Bozo family example used by Shubin to describe the subtle process of evolution over many generations reminded me of an idea that was introduced during the genetics unit: haplogroups. I believe human haplogroups demonstrate the theme of evolution within the human species because is shows how features, such as blonde hair or black skin, eventually developed as humans migrated out of their origins in Africa and adapted to their environments across the planet. In the words of Shubin, "the key is that features--orange hair, squeaky nose, big floppy feet--enable you to recognize the groups. These features are your evidence for the different groups, or in this case generations, of clowns." (177). My question about haplogroups is how they are distinguished specfically. Obviously features across different populations are diverse, but are specific patterns of features (and genetic patterns) used to group people together? Also, can haplogroups be used to trace the origins of mutations, such as sickle-cell anemia, to explain where evolution did not work well and produced not so good results? I think my Y-DNA may be in haplogroup J due to my Sicilian and Mediterranian ancestory. Are you curious about what haplogroup you are in? Troy Glickstern cleverstar8@comcast.net

From sponge blob to Sponge Bob?

On page 132 to 133, Shubin talks about the differences between sponges, single celled organisms, and organisms with body plans. Describe how as time went on organisms were able to become more complex, becoming multicellular and even developing different types of tissues that hold the body together. Discuss the “old parts” that were used in new ways from one organism to another and give examples.

(Alex Sapozhnikov marijio@gmail.com)

The definition of a body

On page 117 in Subin's book, he goes on to define 'a body'. Explain in your own words what defines a body. In addition, explain when did bodies arise, how did they come about, and the significance of bodies. Describe the differences between a cluster of random bacteria cells and a cluster of cells creating a human.

Nikhil Pereira (nikhil.pereira3@gmail.com)

EGG

On page 98 what does Neil Shubin mean when he states, "Just as with heads and limbs, our history is written within our development from egg to adult?" On the topic of embryology, What is embryology? And list the ways fish, amphibians and chicken embryos are alike? -Eryk Fundakowski: arthur2446@comcast.net

Smelling in different environments

In Chapter 8, Neil Shubin starts to talk about the evolution of the nose and how the nose is used for smelling scents. However, there is no specific information about the difference of smelling except that the ones on ground and ones in water have different types of receptors. Go into more depth than Your Inner Fish and talk about difference in receptors and how they have to be different, with different physics of air and water for example.

John Park (wisejsm@yahoo.com)

Bones and their protector

Starting in page 126, Shubin talks about the bones and the cartilage, and how these joint tissues protect our bones from grinding against each other. He also mentions that the cartilage tissues can even withstand our entire body mass' weight. Discuss the strength of the cartilage tissues, how they are able to withstand such pressure. Also, discuss about those who have arthritis, and how those people with arthritis weakens the cartilage tissues so much that their bones start to grind against each other.

John Park (wisejsm@yahoo.com)

The Bonzo Family tree

On pg 176 of Your Inner Fish, Shubin describes the developement of clowns from humorless couples. He attributes the developement of the family full of clowns to mutation. However, a family full of clowns can develope regardless of the mutations. Describe the developement of the Bonzo family from the hereditary aspects from the humorless couple all the way to a full fledged clowns.

Kevin Jeon:bboybyung@gmail.com

Tiktaalik

Looking at Your Inner Fish as a whole, Tiktaalik was a fish that lacked an operculum; what does this tell us about the animal? Furthermore, Tiktaalik had a true neck; what did this allow it to do(advantages)? Tiktaalik was not just the "missing link" rather it was the transitional form, analyze this from an evolutionary standpoint and include outside information. -Eryk Fundakowski arthur2446@comcast.net

The Lifestyle of a Spud

On page 187, Shubin talks about how humans were built for an active lifestyle, not a couch potato lifestyle. Why were humans and other earlier creatures built this way? (include "boom/bust") Why is it detrimental to our health to eat too much fat? Include the effects of obesity on everyday functions like metabolism on a molecular level.

Operculum No More

In the afterword, on page 206, Shubin talks about how Tiktaalik lost its operculum. In what ways did this specific change in the structure of Tiktaalik effect its movement and how does this show the evolution of land animals from aquatic animals?

Different Eyes

On page 150, Shubin discusses the different types of eyes in different animals. Every creature with a skull has camera-like eyes while other animals have eyes "ranging from simple patches of cells specialized to detect light, to eyes with compound lenses..., to primordial versions of our own eye" (150). Explain the differences between these types of eyes. Give examples of animals that have each type of eye. Also, what are some advantages and disadvantages to having each type of eye? Which type of eye would be the most useful for animals? Danielle Webb (dwebb456@gmail.com)

Hox: A change we can believe in?

On page 110, Shubin discusses the importance of the Hox genes and their relation to the body plan of an organism. He says specifically “if you make a fly that lacks a gene active in a middle segment, the midsection of the fly is missing or altered. Is there any way to change Hox genes that will lead to a positive outcome? Can we change the Hox genes of a person to make them grow taller or gain some sort of advantage? What are the ethical repercussions of this?

(Alex Sapozhnikov marijio@gmail.com)

Cellular Transport

Shubin's book covers a lot of important topics that we learned this year. However, one topic that is barely covered is cell transport. Without cellular transport, all of the systems in our bodies would be rendered useless. Explain the different types of transport and the importance of osmosis.

Changing Teeth

On pages 61 and 62, Shubin described the difference between mammal and reptile teeth. One of the differences is that throughout a reptile's life, their teeth are replaced continuously while for mammals, their teeth are only replaced once their whole life. Would having the same teeth one's whole life be an advantage or disadvantage? How does this relate to the fact that all of mammals teeth fit perfectly together?

Jackie James
(jackie.james@comcast.net)

Evolution of Behavior

We talk mostly about the similarities between the physical structures that make up different organisms. Scientists try to use the fossils they find to reconstruct some behaviors of their discovered organisms, but the evolution of behavior is difficult to track, because of the lack of evidence. Discuss the methods with which scientists discern behavior from bones, and some evolutionary trends that have been discovered among land animal history.

Jeremy Solomon

imabum14@gmail.com

Teeth tell all

On page 61, Shubin makes a claim that teeth can tell a lot about an organism's lifestyle. This is true for the fossils found now-a-days because back hundreds of years ago, the main goal was solely to eat and survive. Now that humans are advanced enough to go through life without worrying about finding food (for the most part), is an evaluation of our teeth enough to be able to piece together our lifestyles? If not, is there any other part of our skeletons that could tell more? Consider in your response our abilities to make our own lifestyle choices without endangering our lives, like being vegetarian or vegan for example.

Jackie James
(jackie.james@comcast.net)

Finding out an organisms past

On page 45 of Your Inner Fish, Shubin explains how the scientists use DNA to help find out the past of organisms. What are the benefits to looking at an organism's DNA over body structure? Are there anything that could be missed by just looking at DNA? Explain how this approach led to the variations in the phylogenetic trees.

Jackie James
(jackie.james@comcast.net)

Germ Layers

In chapter six, Shubin talks about developing embryos and their body plans. When Christian Pander looked at embryos he found that all organs in a chicken can be traced to one of three layers of tissue in the developing embryo -- germ layers. The endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm all have a specific role in embryogenesis in each animal. Use this time to review and describe what function each of the three layers plays, specifically in a human being. Also, go through each stage starting from the blastocyst stage where there is no body plan up until the embryo has completely formed. How does each layer know what to do/each cell know where to go/what to form? (Discuss the role/function of the Organizer.)

-Michelle Layvant, mlayvan2@students.d125.org

Sponges

In chapter seven, Shubin talks about body plans of animals and specifically on page 131 he talks about the body plan of a sponge. Explain the body plan of the sponge and what role does it play in how/why this organism has been successful? What environmental pressures have led the body plans of organisms to shift more into other forms like that of a jellyfish, then fish, etc? Describe the communication of cells within a sponge, expanding on Shubin's description on the beginning of page 132. 




-Michelle Layvant, mlayvan2@students.d125.org

I'll Be a Monkey's Uncle

A major theme of the book is how two seemingly different organisms are related. In most cases, Shubin takes the less-developed organism's features and explains how the organism evolved into an entirely different one. This process doesn't apply to the relationship between humans and apes (our closest relatives) with whom we co-evolved from a single common ancestor. If the "missing link" were to be found, what features would scientists use to prove its relatedness to both humans and apes? What does this say about the differences between humans and apes, in terms of which adaptations each species developed, and how the split occured?

Jeremy Solomon

imabum14@gmail.com

A Knee-Slapper!

Shubin describes the human body as a "dressed-up" fish as compared to a "hot-rod Beetle" (185). The consequences of evolution are clear in looking at our own bodies. We have the capabilities of walking on two legs, talking, and incredible dexterity in our fingers and toes, but we are still susceptible to "everything from hemorrhoids to cancer" (185). As an example, Shubin brings up the "unhappy triad" in the knee because the three structures making up the knee (medial meniscus, medial colateral ligament, and anterior cruciate ligament), are very common to injury (185). In relation to structure and function, how could the knee be better-structured in order to become less common to injury? What are the barriers that are stopping us from becoming the "perfect mammal"? Even going into our vulnerability of different diseases, what are some causes of being infected by diseases, and what are our defense mechanisms as of now?

Sonia Doshi soniadoshi7@gmail.com

Great Balls of Cells!

As you may already know, the origins of many of the features on the human head, such as the jaws, ears, larynx, and throat, can be traced to the gill arches from an embryo to an adult in a human. If look back to the Handy Genes chapter, a similar phenomenon occurs when the origin of the wing of a chicken can be trace to a wing bud and areas close to the ZPA, where high concentration of ZPA molecule exist, develop the wing in the exact way they are supposed to. I noticed a pattern. Almost all the features that organisms develop originate from a tiny region of cells, much like the entire embryo originates from a single ball of cells called the morula. My question is whether this is significant to understanding evolution, and whether this phenomenon occurs across multiple species (and kingdoms) to explain the source of changes that brought about speciation and diversity.

Consider the theme of evolution. Almost all organisms originate as tiny cells and develop from such minute beginnings into the organisms they are destined to become, but why is that so? Could this be a weak spot for earth dwelling organisms because “if anything interferes with normal development during the embryonic phase, the effects can be devastating.” (Weiten, 427). Is this important period of development the very period during which diversity comes to be?

Weiten, W., & Halpern, D. (2004). Motivation and Emotion. Psychology: Themes and Variation 6th Edition, 10, 427

Troy Glickstern

cleverstar8@comcast.net

Shubin, I think we have a problem

If you look at the flowchart on page 176, a very interesting explanation for evolution over the course of many generations is provided. The key principle emphasized in this schematic is that “descent with modification can build a family tree, or lineage, that we can identify by characters.” (Shubin, 176). This is an easy way to justify how all organisms branched out from one common ancestor, but the one question that the flow chart does not answer is how divergence occurred in the first place? If an original humorless couple is the origin of the entire generation of full bozos, how did the bozos inherit such incredible diversity if the tools for such were not in their original genetic code? Did they intermarry? Obviously that is not possible in the animal kingdom because organisms of different species cannot interbreed.

Consider the theme of evolution and maybe the theme of structure and function. If descent with modification occurs, what causes the modification? Mutations in DNA do occur, which does explain why proteins do not function in the way they are intended, but it doesn’t seem possible that they occur so often that they result in the divergence of species so far over millions of years that jellyfish and humans could possibly be related. Prove me wrong?

Troy Glickstern

cleverstar8@comcast.net

In chapter 4 of "Your inner fish," it mentions and explains the evolution of teeth to bones. Ostracoderms were the first animals found with bony structures that were made entirely from fused teeth which served as a defense from predators. Explain why it would be beneficial for bones to occur after teeth. Include at least one other example in which a similar evolutionary pathway occurs.

Old parts in new ways

Throughout the book, Shubin has described different ways organisms have evolved by using pre-existing parts in a different way. Find at least three examples throughout the book and explain how they helped the organism gain an advantage. Describe any setbacks that were later seen as an evolutionary byproduct

Aparna Pal

aparna.pal.1994@gmail.com

my genes, your genes, their genes, more genes!

In Chapter 6, Neil Shubin discusses Hox genes and their role in determining anterior/posterior/ventral/dorsal sections of organisms. Humans have Hoxa, Hoxb, Hoxc, and Hoxd when organisms such as jellyfish and fruit flies have less Hox genes. What determines the number of Hox genes in an organism in terms of complexity and symmetry? Would a bilateral or a radial symmetry organism have more complex Hox genes? Provide and example of both.

Fossil Finding

On page 9 of your inner fish, there is a great diagram titled "pattern at the zoo." Furthermore, Shubin says that "every rock sitting on the ground has a story to tell" (11). Discuss the evolutionary changes we see from fish like animals to humans using the diagram, campbell, and any outside resources. Further explain how this evolution affects the fossils we see and where we find these fossils. How did Shubin use this background knowledge when looking for fossils that showed evidence of the change from water to land animals. What challenges do scientists face when searching for these fossils?

Matt Kim

(matthewkim0803@gmail.com)

Rocks can Explain the Past and Predict the Future

On page 11, Shubin mentions 2 very interesting things. The first is how the summit of Mount Everest (nearly 5 miles above sea level) contains rocks from an ancient sea floor. The second is how fossils of Amazon-like plants have been found in rock layers north of the Arctic Circle. Explain how both of these phenomena occur and what they could tell us about the Earth’s past and future.

Matt Micucci (coochqbk@sbcglobal.net)