Evolution; convergence (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, December 15, 2012, 16:02 (4339 days ago) @ David Turell

Only a few ways to evolve!
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> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121025130922.htm-And now we find that a special lipid helps hearing in dolphins, whales and insects!-"We don't know why animals who are so far apart in evolutionary terms have this similarity, but it opens up the possibility that others may use the same system component."
 
The sound is known to be transmitted through a liquid-filled cavity to reach the hearing organs, but until the current research was carried out it was presumed that the liquid was simply the insect equivalent of blood.
 
The researchers found that it was in fact a lipid of a new chemical class. They believe the role of the lipid is to efficiently transmit sound between compartments of the ear, and perhaps to help amplify quiet sounds."-http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121213084939.htm