Fish Grew Fingers First An Evolutionary Biology Story
Researchers at Uppsala University recently published evidence that fingers may have evolved first in fish. The previous consensus among evolutionary biologists was that fingers had evolved from the first 4-legged animals to walk on land, known as Tetrapods. Tetrapods are commonly considered to be the evolutionary link between fish and terrestrial vertebrates—the ancestors of modern mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds.
Prior studies on the zebrafish (zebra danio) genome demonstrated a lack of support of fish-derived fingers, leaving many scientists to conclude that fingers had originated after the evolutionary split from the fish lineage.
This latest evidence, published in the journal Nature, is a re-examination of a fossil of a ‘missing link’ fish that was discovered more than 30 years ago, in a brick quarry in Latvia. The specific composition of the fossil made it difficult to discern the finger rudiments without the use of newer medical X-ray technology. The fossil fish species, Panderichthys, probably lived in shallow, muddy water and used the four bony extensions at the end of its paddle-like fin to lean on, rather than for swimming. The next time you meet a person who shakes hands like a ‘cold fish’, you’ll know they haven’t finished evolving.
Works Cited
Alleyne, Richard. “Fish with fingers are evolution’s ‘missing link’”. September 21, 2008. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3042468/Fish-with-fingers-are-evolutions-missing-link.html
Bryner, Jeanna. “Fish fingers: Your digits used to be fins”. MSNBC September 22 2008.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26843479/
Uppsala University. “Primordial Fish Had Rudimentary Fingers.” ScienceDaily 23 September 2008. 20 October 2008 <http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/09/080922090843.htm>.
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