How the turtle's shell developed

by BBC

Thanks to Kevin for the link.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8142664.stm

Scientists have revealed a spectacular insight into turtle evolution - how the unique animals get their shells.

A Japanese team studied the development of turtle embryos to find out why their ribs grow outward and fuse together to form a tough, external carapace.

Reporting in the journal Science, the researchers compared turtle embryos with those of chicks and mice.

They found that, as turtles developed, part of their body wall folded in on itself forcing the ribs outward.

The team of researchers from the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, described the turtle shell as an "evolutionary novelty".

It represents such a leap from the soft-bodied ancestors that turtles share with mammals and birds, that scientists have long puzzled over how exactly it came about.

"Other groups have looked into why the shoulder blade in turtles is encased inside the rib cage," said Olivier Rieppel from Field Museum in Chicago, an expert in reptile evolution who was not involved in this study.

"That makes them unique."

Continue reading:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8142664.stm

Posted: Monday, July 13, 2009 | Permalink

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2. Comment #395992 by JMCARVAS on July 13, 2009 at 1:52 pm

So...it wasn't god?? OMG!!

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3. Comment #396018 by rod-the-farmer on July 13, 2009 at 2:39 pm

They found that, as turtles developed, part of their body wall folded in on itself forcing the ribs outward.

Trust the Japanese to discover origami at work.

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4. Comment #396027 by Shergar on July 13, 2009 at 2:51 pm

Robotaholic - Couldn't agree more. I visit this site almost daily as it is packed with these scientific gems - don't forget the humble salamander's tale.

Remember - we're not just here for the bad things in life like theistic dogma.... promotion of science and life long learning - truly a clear-thinking oasis.

Could Richard really be the most dangerous man in Britain?

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5. Comment #396086 by BlueCollar8theist on July 13, 2009 at 6:42 pm

This is a truly amazing site! The informational pearls to be found here are priceless!

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6. Comment #396107 by Mbee on July 13, 2009 at 10:38 pm

I agree with the comments above. This is my favorite site. The internet has the wonderful capability of allowing instant dissemination of information. Unfortunately one still has to separate the factual information from the religious BS that is prevalent out there. Science information is what I am looking for here. The religious however seem bent on trying to insert their mumbo jumbo into real science so we need to correct this at every opportunity.

I consider myself a lay person but want to know as much as I can about the real world, not some overblown dogma that has nothing to support it and provides no insight into what is really going on out there.

Looking forward to Richards new book.

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7. Comment #396111 by helenlibra on July 13, 2009 at 10:58 pm

Oh no!! That Chinese fossil means more gaps!

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8. Comment #396230 by liberalartist on July 14, 2009 at 6:51 am

I've learned something new today...what a great way to start my day :)

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9. Comment #396250 by squeegee on July 14, 2009 at 7:43 am

Fascinating stuff. I feel sorry for those who don't [or won't] understand how amazing, yet simple and inevitable, natural selection is.

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11. Comment #396459 by mordacious1 on July 14, 2009 at 4:16 pm

Dustin14

Thanks for that link...enjoyed it.

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1. Comment #395991 by robotaholic on July 13, 2009 at 1:51 pm

this was awesome - ever since Richard's piece on the sea turtle, and the giant tortoise's tale, i've had a new appreciation for them all
http://richarddawkins.net/article,3351,The-Sea-Turtles-Tale-Back-to-the-sea-and-back-again-to-the-land,Richard-Dawkins

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10. Comment #396456 by Dustin14 on July 14, 2009 at 4:09 pm

there's a great post about this very topic on "not exactly rocket science"

http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/how_the_turtle_got_its_shell_through_skeletal_shifts_and_mus.php

Ed Yong is one of my favorite science writers I`m surprised articles from his blog have never appeared here.

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