Chapter 4 is a refreshing chapter compared to the elaborate network of DNA. Shubin begins by explaining the significance of teeth in learning about organisms, which have different functions and shapes depending on the needs of the creature. Shubin learns this as he discusses his first expedition as a paleontologist, where he is trying to find fossils in the Arizona desert with Bill Amaral, and Chuck Schaff. The first few weeks he found nothing, until he followed Chuck and learns that he must look for "something that had the texture of bone not rock, something that glistened like teeth, something that looked like an arm bone, not a piece of sandstone."(64) Finally, he finds his first tooth, and he soon finds that their are bits of fossils everywhere. This surprised me that fossils could be anywhere! Especially the beach, but of course you would have to learn to differentiate rocks from fossils. The development the tooth is also intriguing, for it is created by tissues, as are hairs, feathers, and breasts, although having many different function than each other. Teeth are probably one of the smallest, but most significant parts of our bodies. And as Shubin ends the chapter, he states "how we can trace the same organ in different creatures" as he has shown in the past 3 chapters.
-Ian Tang
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