Chapter Two: Getting A Grip

As I was reading this chapter, I accounted that many things were repetitive from the first chapter, but slightly altered. I was shocked when Shubin explained the "one bone in the upper arm, two bones in the forearm, a bunch of nine little bones at the wrists, then a series of five rods that make the fingers" (30) theory for humans, which many anatomists before Owen had seen. The part which was the most interesting to me was when Shubin explained how Owen was the first to compare this pattern with the diversity of the skeletons in the world. I was appalled by how Owen discovered the "one bone-two bones-lotsa blobs- digits plan of limbs" (33) pattern in theropod dinosaurs, birds, pterosaurs, bats, seals, lizards, penguins, humpback whales, and many more. Many other paleontologists discovered fishes which were extremely close to Owen's pattern, but not quite there since they lacked fully developed hands and feet. It was Shubin and Ted Daeschler who discovered a fin (much similar to Tiktaalik) that can be applied to Owen's theory. Throughout this chapter, I was in a shock mode and I keep getting more and more attached to this book. Shubin has eloquently shown how we, humans, have developed from fishes with hands and feet. I hope that by the end of this book, I will somewhat believe in evolution of the human nature. Definitely looking forward to the next chapter!