Chapter 2: Getting a Grip

I started to read chapter 2 with an open mind and eagerness to learn more. This chapter was just like the first. At first, Shubin introduced his first human dissection. His explanations of his experience were both revolting and intriguing. How he did not feel the stress of performing such a job did not make any sense to me. From my experience, dissecting a rat was stressful, therefore, I did not understand how Shubin could feel the way he did. Then, when he described uncovering the human hand, he felt the emotions that were not present when dissecting the other parts of the body. This reaction to the hand helped me to understand Shubin's intentions of wanting to find the connection and road to such an important part of the human body. I used to view paleontology as useless and time-consuming. Digging and searching for days to find bones were pointless to me. However, this changed when I read these lines. The complexity of the hand made me wonder of its existence. These lines helped me to understand why scientists try so hard to discover and learn more about its past.

Then introduced was the common structure of the limbs of animals. The pattern of the "one bone-two bones-lotsa blobs-digits pattern" (32), however, was not present in the fins of fish. The link was found by Shubin in the Tiktaalik. The Tiktaalik had fin webbing, yet inside it was a primitive version of Owen's limb structure. To me, this was a great discovery because it shows how evolution does have scientific evidence to prove that evolution does exist. The Tiktaalik shows that in time, the fish evolved into an amphibian through it and then eventually into a human. This fact is both surprising and interesting, because it helps to understand the question of our existence and how we came about.

Overall, the second chapter was a rewarding experience to read, just like the first chapter.