Category Biology

Our connection to other mammals

What makes us humans different from our ape cousins? Well, our brain power. And, that came about through tweaks in the genes, according to an ambitious project, whose results were published recently. Come, let’s find out more about this, and also how we are similar to and different from other mammals.

The Zoonomia Project compared the genomes (the genetic material that makes up a living organism) of 240 mammal species, including humans, to trace evolutionary changes over 100 million years. It studied a wide variety of mammals-from the huge North Pacific right whale (59 feet long) to the tiny bumblebee bat, just 3 cm long. It also included our closest evolutionary relatives – chimpanzees and bonobos. Do you know what startling result the study threw up? “The researchers identified genomic elements- 4,552 in all – that were pretty much the same across all mammals and were identical in at least 235 of the 240 species, including people.” It means that certain parts of genomes have remained unchanged across all mammal species, humans included, over millions of years of evolution.

As for how humans are different from other mammals, the study points to areas “associated with developmental and neurological genes”. It suggests that when Homo sapiens evolved, it involved changes in how the nervous system genes were “regulated”. And these were just tweaks rather than any dramatic and major changes to the genes themselves. This explains why we still share a large part of our genetic makeup with our ape cousins.

And, genes are also responsible for traits unique to some mammals. For instance, hibernation and the sense of smell. While some mammals have a keen sense of smell, others have almost none. Humans are “somewhat average”. The study also saw changes in genetic sequences in some species “in relatively short periods of time”, indicating how they are adapting to their environments.

While the findings are fascinating by themselves. scientists believe they “could inform human therapeutics, critical care and long-distance space flight”, and “also can help identify genetic mutations that lead to disease”.

In a study, researchers identified genomic elements – 4,552 in all-that were pretty much the same across all mammals and were identical in at least 235 of the 240 species, including people. It means that certain parts of genomes have remained unchanged across all mammal species, humans included, over millions of years of evolution.

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Why is Samir K. Brahmachari an important figure on the scientific stage in India?

Samir K. Brahmachari is a biophysicist who is among the first in utilizing computational tools for genome analysis. He has developed many bioinformatics tools. His research led to the creation of the genetic profile of Indians known as the Indian Genome Variation Project. This was later extended to include all East Asian countries.

He was the first to market the novel, globally competitive bio-informatics software products from CSIR. He has 12 patents, 23 copyrights and 155 research publications to his credit.

Brahmachari did BSc and MSc in chemistry from the University of Calcutta. He earned a PhD in Molecular Biophysics from the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. He did post-doctoral research at Paris Diderot University. Then he was a visiting scientist at the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

He worked as a Professor in Indian Institute of Science and also served as a Visiting Professor at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry.

Then he became the Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India. He was the Founder Director of Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), New Delhi and the Chief Mentor of Open Source for Drug Discovery (OSDD) Project.

The J.C Bose Fellowship Award is one among the many honours that he has received.

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Does owls have eyeballs?

Owls don’t have eyeballs. They have eye tubes or cylinders, rod-shaped eyes that do not move in their sockets as eyeballs do. Instead, owls have to move their bodies or heads in order to look around. Since moving their torsos would likely make noise that would alert their prey to their presence, owls have evolved to have necks that can spin up to 270° essentially silently.

But why favour neck-spinning over the seemingly simple eye ball-spinning method of looking around? Well, night vision requires large corneas that allow for light to be collected effectively even in the dark, which is why most nocturnal animals (like the slow loris or tarsier) have huge eyes. But owls have small skulls, so their big eyes couldn’t expand out. They instead developed into the rod shape of today’s owls. They aren’t alone though: some deep-sea fish (like the anglerfish) also have rod-shaped eyes for seeing in the dark.

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Why do epaulette sharks walk on land?

Researchers at a Florida university say a species of shark with the ability to walk on land is evolving to survive warming seas and the climate crisis.

The epaulette shark, found on shallow reefs of Australia and New Guinea, can walk for upto 90 feet on dry land using its paddle-shaped fins, and survive hypoxia (deficiency of oxygen) for up to two hours. The 3 foot long sharks are able to slow and fast walk, as well as swim, giving them an exceptional ability to cross land to reach more favourable environments.

Tide pools and coral reef environments are subjected to warm temperatures when the tide is out. These sharks can move from tide pool to tide pool, allowing them to access new pools to forage for food or tide pools with better oxygenated water.

What sets epaulette sharks apart from other shark species with these abilities, is their tolerance of hypoxia for a prolonged period, and ability to not only survive being on land but walk distances up to 30 times its body length. This gives them better agility to evade predators, reach areas with more plentiful food and less competition for it.

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Will there be a ‘Project Great Indian Bustard’?

Proposed on the lines of Project Tiger, the country’s highest court seeks the government’s view on the idea. What prompted this? Here’s the story and background in five simplified points.

  1. THE PROPOSAL: Coming to the rescue of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB), the Supreme Court has mooted the idea of launching ‘Project GIB’ on the lines of ‘Project Tiger. A bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, and comprising justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, also sought reports from the chief secretaries of Rajasthan and Gujarat in six weeks on the installation of bird diverters in priority areas and assess the total length of transmission lines in the two States where undergrounding of electric wires have to be done to ensure the birds do not die of electrocution.
  2. COMMITTEE FORMED: The Supreme Court had earlier set up a three-member committee to assess the feasibility of laying high-voltage underground power cables. It had also directed the Gujarat and Rajasthan governments to convert overhead electric cables into underground power cables, wherever feasible, and install bird diverters in priority areas where the birds live. It has now directed the committee to submit an updated status report on the steps to safeguard the birds.
  3. ENDANGERED SPECIES: The great Indian bustard, considered India’s most critically endangered bird species, is especially found in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and as per the 2021 report of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), they are on the verge of extinction with less than 249 of them alive. Endemic to India, these birds were once seen across several States in the country. Due to hunting, habitat loss, and accidents caused by windmills and overhead power lines, their numbers dwindled over the last few decades.
  4. RECENT DEATHS: Being hit by overhead power lines is one of the major reasons for the death of these birds today, which is why the focus is on undergrounding such lines. While the work for undergrounding power lines has started in Gujarat, that does not seem to be the situation in Rajasthan, according to reports. Bird diverters too have not been installed in priority areas despite the Supreme Court’s direction. This would explain the deaths of seven birds so far this year, which is a matter of continuing concern.
  5. PROJECT TIGER: The Central government had launched ‘Project Tiger on April 1, 1973 to promote the conservation of the big cat whose population had dipped alarmingly. The number of tigers in 1973 was less than 300, and according to the All India Tiger Estimation Report, that number rose to 2,967 in 2018. Project Tiger has been viewed by the government as one of the most successful conservation programmes for a single species in the world. And so, it is hoped that a similar project for this critically endangered bird species would save it from extinction.

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Why are anteaters going extinct?

As their name suggests, giant anteaters are large. Like so many large mammals the world over, these creatures too are facing rising extinction risk, especially in Brazil. What are the reasons for this? Come, let’s find out.

Giant anteaters are native to Central and South America. In 2020, the Pantanal region of South America witnessed fires that destroyed about a third of the area. It proved to be injurious or fatal for wildlife such as jaguars inhabiting the region. According to a report, the fires killed “an estimated 17 million animals”. The numbers are not available for those injured or displaced. But among those that suffered are giant anteaters. Apparently, “more than 50 giant anteaters injured or displaced by the Pantanal fires were taken in by state rescue projects – a leap from 13 the previous year”. In 2021, Pantanal witnessed fires again, though on a scale smaller than the previous year. However, reports suggest that a few areas from 2020 suffered in 2021 too – this could spell disaster for the species there since they’d be denied time for recovery. Several animals are also indirectly affected by such fires. For instance, young animals could be orphaned and ones trying to escape such fires could get involved in accidents or end up in the hands of poachers. As for giant anteaters, some tried to escape the fire in 2021 and got hit by cars; they were rescued.

But, fires are not the only reason for falling giant anteater populations. A report says “Brazil’s anteater populations have fallen 30% over 26 years”. As solitary creatures, they require a large range for habitation. But this is becoming more and more difficult due to land seizures, expansion of farming, ranching, and mining “in the Amazon and the Brazilian savanna”. Further, the animal also has “a low population growth rate due to its life history of long gestation periods and single offspring”.

The giant anteater plays a significant role as both predator and prey. While it is consumed by jaguars and pumas, the mammal consumes large quantities of insects, especially ants and termites. Given this interconnectedness, the extinction of this insectivore can have unimaginable impacts on its ecological range.

Fires are not the only reason for falling giant anteater populations. As solitary creatures, they require a large range for habitation. But this is becoming more and more difficult due to land seizures, expansion of farming, ranching, and mining “in the Amazon and the Brazilian savanna”. Further, the animal also has “a low population growth rate due to its life history of long gestation periods and single offspring”.

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