Chapter 7 Adventures in Bodybuilding

In the beginning of the chapter, I found it very interesting that cells come together in different ways to make up unique organisms. I also liked how Shubin compared the turnover of our body's cells to a river because it helped me understand the concept he was talking about. I learned that all the different parts of our body, whether big or small, are essential for the entire make-up of our bodies. It was interesting because Shubin mentioned that each of the cells "know" their specific roles and functions in the body. He also mentions a biological glue that holds clumps of our cells together, allowing them to communicate and form most of our structures. Shubin's analogy of the human skeleton to a bridge helped me visualize the different parts and overall function. Later, Shubin compared the human body to those of a sponge and a choanoflagellate, which seem to be completely different. I like that Shubin makes these comparisons because it continues to show that our structure is similar to those of other living creatures, and they continue to encourage the possibility that we have originated from something much more primitive.