Repeated Evolution in Nicaraguan Fish

Date:

October 28, 2014

Source:

University of Konstanz

Student: Logan Penney

Article url: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141028082353.htm

Summary: 

This article is about a type of Nicaraguan fish called the cichild. What the interesting thing is about these fish is that they live in completely isolated little lakes called crater lakes. Over 10,000 years ago they were a single species, but since then have been separated into similar environments. Even though they had no contact with each other in over 10,000 years since they have been separated they have evolved many similar characteristics. The interesting thing is that even after all that time apart they have evolved much to the same extent. In a Konstanz university study the found proof that shows that evolution of a species can be repeated going against many other theories that state that each species evolution is unique.

Relevance:

 The relevance of this story to our unit is the evolution as well as the biodiversity. This story is proving that cells and cell structures when in similar conditions can change in very similar ways. It also kind of goes against they way people like to think of how life started. People believe that one single organism has evolved into all others. But this finding might suggest that this might not necessarily be true and it would have taken several different life forms to create all the biodiversity on earth. Because with only one they think that it would have evolved very similarly and would have repeated its self.