An international team
of scientists has sequenced and analyzed the genome of the African coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae. Ancient lobe fins were the first
vertebrates to brave the land, and the coelacanth genome is expected to reveal
much about the origins of tetrapods, the evolutionary line that gave rise to
amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Coelacanths
have fleshy, lobed fins, that were believed to live during cretaceous period,
when dinosaurs still roamed earth. Ancient lobe fins were the first
vertebrates to brave the land. Coelacanth genome is expected to reveal much
about the origins of tetrapods, the evolutionary line that gave rise to
amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
The findings were published in the magazine Nature, April
17, 2013.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=slow-evolving-lobe-finned-coelacanth-genome-unlocked&page=2
