sonic hedgehog-so where's my game controller?

The whole concept of chapter three really intrigued me because I have always been interested in genetics. I extracted the DNA of a kiwi and a banana and learned that the DNA of the fruits can be closely related to that of our DNA as well (wait whaat? that's what i said :]), though the DNA of the fruits is definitely not as close to ours as other living animals.This made me realize that the DNA of all virtual life is extremely similar; what differs is certain parts of the sequences or the alternating time that the genes turn on to alter the course of the developing embryo. The ZPA tissue that essentially orchestrates the development of our hands and the limbs of other organisms is extremely important, and it blew my mind knowing that by manipulating the position of the ZPA tissue we can create a duplicate set of digits or a duplicate bone structure in the limb or appendage of a creature. This shocked me, because I didn't know that moving a tiny slice of tissue could change the whole outcome of the embryo.

This chapter also helped me understand why certain individuals are born with an incomplete arm or mutated limb, because that little piece of tissue at the very tip of the developing limb of the embryo must have been removed somehow when the baby was developing. To just think that a simple tissue is so vitally important to us and most of us don't even realize that, and we take it for granted. People don't know the risks of harming the developing embryo and how a seemingly minute occurrence can change the whole outcome of the physical appearance of the baby, but now that I do I feel accomplished to be able to explain with Shubin's help how a hand is developed in the embryonic state.

I almost forgot to comment on the whole shark/skate DNA being so closely related to ours that their appendages contain the ZPA tissue and react to mutations the same way humans and other limbed creatures idea. Well, that is A LOT to comprehend. The facts are there, however, and it is proven that these animals develop the same way humans do, and therefore our connection to the rest of the organisms on this earth is made clearer. We all in some way are part of a much larger picture; we didn't just happen. We each have an "inner chicken" or an "inner fly" or even an "inner shark" that can be traced back to our beginnings, and let me just say WOW.