Chapter 2: Getting a Grip

I thought chapter two of The Inner Fish was more intense and interesting than chapter one. The beginning of the chapter started with Shubin's explanation of the human dissection he participated in. The author's expression of the human body parts was intriguing and confusing. He seemed impassive when observing body parts but as he dissected the hands, he seemed greatly amazed by the connections of bones he saw in human and other creatures. It was interesting to learn that many creatures share the anatomy pattern of "one bone- two bones- lotsa blobs." Many animals share the similar bone structures but what differ each individual is the surrounding environment. For survival, animals adapt to the milieu and go through slow physical changes. The discovery of Tiktaalik by Shubin’s team helped me understand the idea of evolution. Even though Tiktaalik had the outer appearance of a fish, fin webbings, the bone structures followed the “one bone- two bones- lotsa blobs” patter like us. What surprised me was that this creature was capable of doing push-ups because of its wrist structures. The diagrams included in this chapter haleped me visualize and compare the bone structures of different animals. This chapter seemed repetitive but it was full of exciting facts.