My Inner Fish

The two episodes of "My Inner Fish" really helped me understand how we came to be. We learned how the first transitional fish was discovered, and we learned more about how fish slowly developed more amphibian like traits. In the first video we watched, scientists found that the Sonic Hedgehog was responsible for shaping and generating the pattern of the digits. One of the questions we were asked was "Why do people have extra digits?" We learned that some people have extra digits because they have mutations that alter the signal of the Sonic Hedgehog. One small mutation can cause a huge effect, causing people to have extra fingers or toes. In the second video, we learned how we are closely related to reptiles. Another question we were asked was "Why are mass extinctions important?" We learned that mass extinctions can be both good and bad. Even though it wipes out most species, the surviving ones have new opportunities along with new niches. The extinction of dinosaurs was one of the most important mass extinctions because it gave way to mammals and eventually, us humans.