These Fins Were Made for Walking … and Then Swimming
Around 375 million years ago, a giant fish evolved limbs for walking. But some of its descendants reversed course on the evolutionary road, becoming swimmers again.
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Around 375 million years ago, a giant fish evolved limbs for walking. But some of its descendants reversed course on the evolutionary road, becoming swimmers again.
The spines of South American echidnas and North American porcupines are remarkably similar.
More Fun Than Fun: David Wake, Salamanders and the Origin and Loss of Species 07/07/2021 L-R: the author, David Wake (1936-2021), Marvalee Wake and the Canadian botanist John McNeill, on the occasion of the centenary of the International Union of Biological Sciences, Oslo, July-August 2019. Photo: Geetha Gadagkar On April 29, 2021, I received the sad news that David Wake was no more. Despite being somewhat numbed by the relentless news of death and destruction caused by the pandemic, Wake’s passing on raised my lugubriousness much more above the background noise. Fond memories ru...
David Wake, a widely-loved and respected UC Berkeley professor emeritus of integrative biology and the world’s leading salamander expert, died April 29 at the age of 84. After getting his doctorate at the University of Southern California, David Wake was an assistant professor at the University of Chicago until 1969, when he was hired at UC Berkeley. According to his wife, Marvalee Wake, who is also a graduate professor in integrative biology, the two viewed their science as “complementary.” “Hundreds of messages (are) coming in worldwide that pretty much say the same thing, talking...