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November 21, 2019 01:00 pm
Original Link: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/P1d9YF_XHyA/vertebrates-became-predators-by-tweaking-the-neural-crest
Vertebrates Became Predators By Tweaking the Neural Crest
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: Caltech scientists have discovered that a population of embryonic stem cells called neural crest cells may help explain how vertebrates progressively evolved a more and more efficient head. Neural crest cells originate within the developing central nervous system before migrating throughout the embryo. They are a major player in the development of the jaws and other important components of the head and face, making them a good candidate for a role in vertebrate head evolution. The study, led by postdoctoral scholar Megan Martik, began by comparing the genetic makeup of lamprey neural crest with that of chicken embryos. The team discovered that the lamprey neural crest cells lacked important genes that are present in the head neural crest of birds and mammals, and critical for making advanced structures like the jaw. The team wondered how the neural crest ultimately acquired the genes. To look for clues, they examined the neural crest genes of animals that have jaws, such as sharks and zebrafish, and evolved after lamprey but well before chickens and other birds. Martik and her colleagues found that the genetic program that helped to make the head more sophisticated was created by the progressive addition of genes to the neural crest repertoire as the vertebrate tree of life advanced and new species evolved. The study has been published in the journal Nature.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Original Link: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/P1d9YF_XHyA/vertebrates-became-predators-by-tweaking-the-neural-crest
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