Close X
Thursday, October 31, 2024
ADVT 
Interesting

'Dino-Chickens' : Indian-origin Researcher 'Grows' Dinosaur Snout In A Chicken In Lab

Darpan News Desk IANS, 12 May, 2015 12:39 PM
    In a first, a team led by an Indian-origin researcher has successfully replicated the molecular processes that led from dinosaur snouts to the first bird beaks -- by 'growing' the snout that replaced a chicken's beak in the lab.
     
    Using the fossil record, the team led by paleontologist and developmental biologist Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar from Yale University conducted the first successful reversion of a bird's skull features in the lab.
     
    They replicated ancestral molecular development to transform chicken embryos in a lab into specimens with a snout and palate configuration similar to that of small dinosaurs such as Velociraptor and Archaeopteryx.
     
    "Our goal was to understand the molecular underpinnings of an important evolutionary transition, not to create a 'dino-chicken' simply for the sake of it," said Bhullar, lead author of the study.
     
    For this, Bhullar and his colleague Arhat Abzhanov from Harvard University detailed a novel approach to find the molecular mechanism involved in creating the skeleton of the beak.
     
    First, they did a quantitative analysis of the anatomy of related fossils and extant animals to generate a hypothesis about the transition.
     
    Next, they searched for possible shifts in gene expression that correlated with the transition. The team looked at gene expression in the embryos of emus, alligators, lizards and turtles.
     
    The researchers discovered that both major living lineages of birds differ from the major lineages of non-bird reptiles and from mammals in having a unique, median gene expression.
     
    This median gene expression had previously only been observed in chickens. The researchers were able to induce the ancestral molecular activity and the ancestral anatomy.
     
    Not only did the beak structure revert but the process also caused the palatine bone on the roof of the mouth to go back to its ancestral state.
     
    "This was unexpected and demonstrates the way in which a single, simple developmental mechanism can have wide-ranging and unexpected effects," Bhullar explained.
     
    The same approach can be used to investigate the underlying developmental mechanisms of a host of great evolutionary transformations, Bhullar concluded in a paper that appeared in the journal Evolution.

    MORE Interesting ARTICLES

    Cat Lost In Eastern Ontario In 2009 To Reunite With Owner In Alberta

    Cat Lost In Eastern Ontario In 2009 To Reunite With Owner In Alberta
    BELLEVILLE, Ont. — A cat lost six years ago in eastern Ontario will be reunited with her owner in Alberta next month.

    Cat Lost In Eastern Ontario In 2009 To Reunite With Owner In Alberta

    This Smart Car That Won't Let You Drive If You Are Drunk

    This Smart Car That Won't Let You Drive If You Are Drunk
    Researchers are working on an in-built blood alcohol level tester that can prevent people under its influence from driving.

    This Smart Car That Won't Let You Drive If You Are Drunk

    Consumers Could See Internet Bills Rise In Light Of CRTC Ruling, Analysts Say

    Consumers Could See Internet Bills Rise In Light Of CRTC Ruling, Analysts Say
    TORONTO — Consumers could see their Internet costs edge higher as cable companies look to maintain their profits in light of a ruling that forces them to unbundle television channels.

    Consumers Could See Internet Bills Rise In Light Of CRTC Ruling, Analysts Say

    Will My Bill Go Down? Common Questions About New CRTC TV Rules Answered

    Will My Bill Go Down? Common Questions About New CRTC TV Rules Answered
    On Thursday, the CRTC released a new regulatory policy for TV providers. Here are the answers to five frequently asked questions about the new rules and what they mean for consumers:

    Will My Bill Go Down? Common Questions About New CRTC TV Rules Answered

    'I Just Got Shot': US Boy Posts Bloody Selfie Immediately After He Was Hit By Arizona Shooting

    'I Just Got Shot': US Boy Posts Bloody Selfie Immediately After He Was Hit By Arizona Shooting
    A 20-year-old US student who was shot in the shoulder decided to post a smiling selfie with the bleeding gunshot wound on social media rather than calling for medical help.

    'I Just Got Shot': US Boy Posts Bloody Selfie Immediately After He Was Hit By Arizona Shooting

    Love Begins To Pour When Men Come Home From Work

    Love Begins To Pour When Men Come Home From Work
    Absence does make the heart grow fonder. This is the outcome of new research that found that the level of the "love" hormone oxytocin increases when people come home after a tiring day at work.

    Love Begins To Pour When Men Come Home From Work