Category: Uncategorized

EXTREME SPECIALIZATION. "Cetaceans are arguably the most specialized of all mammals, having evolved from a terrestrial ancestor to occupy an obligate aquatic niche. Modern cetaceans show numerous phenotypic adaptations for life in the water; aside from the radical reorganization of their forelimbs into fins and loss of hindlimbs, they are able to dive and tolerate low oxygen, and possess modified circulatory and respiratory systems, large brains, hairlessness and transformations in sensory perception." https://lnkd.in/d6aiUba View in LinkedIn

ENORMOUS SUCCESS. "The cetaceans, including whales, dolphins and purpoises, are thought to be among the most successful animals to have ever transitioned from land back to the sea, beginning about 50–55 Ma. Over eons, along with losing limbs and hair, growing tails, and gaining blubber, the remarkable evolutionary changes also included a dramatic dietary change, from herbivorous to carnivorous." https://lnkd.in/dHjVr6G View in LinkedIn

SKELETAL CHANGES. "Cetaceans have highly transformed pelvic and hindlimb bones as a secondary adaptation to an aquatic lifestyle. Paleontological records of these bones are very scarce, which hampers interpretations of their homology and evolution." https://lnkd.in/dn9zKpQ View in LinkedIn

FERMENTATIVE METABOLISMS. "Baleen whales, which prey on animals (fish and crustaceans), harbor unique gut microbiomes with surprising parallels in functional capacity and higher level taxonomy to those of terrestrial herbivores. These similarities likely reflect a shared role for fermentative metabolisms despite a shift in primary carbon sources from plant-derived to animal-derived polysaccharides, such ras chitin." https://lnkd.in/dDPhaBp View in LinkedIn

APPLES AND ORANGES. "By definition, learning is a process for acquiring memories by which adaptive changes in an organism’s behaviour arise as a result of experience. Recognizing and quantifying such behavioral changes has proven to be no easy task in human and animal subjects, let alone in plants whose ability to behave is still an underappreciated phenomenon." https://lnkd.in/dH68RKn View in LinkedIn

SLOW LEARNER. "Once the domain of psychologists, research on learning and memory has extended its reach beyond the study of human behaviour to include several animal species and more recently, even machines." https://lnkd.in/dH68RKn View in LinkedIn

GENETICS AND ANATOMY. "These anatomical modifications reflect underlying genetic changes such as the reduction of olfactory receptor genes, although mysticetes retain some olfactory abilities. Modifications of the facial and nasal region of odontocetes reflect specialization for biosonar sound production." https://lnkd.in/dpT89Y8 View in LinkedIn

CANDIDATE WINNOWING. "Re-evaluation of previously presented examples of plant intelligence shows that only some of them pass our test." https://lnkd.in/dfsCv77 View in LinkedIn