Chapters 8, 9, 10, and 11

Chapter 8:

In this chapter, Shubin explained how by extracting DNA from any tissue of a living thing, many details about that particular specie's history is revealed, including the sense of smell. It fascinated me how in the beginning of the chapter, he explained how anyone can extract DNA in his or her's own kitchen with little effort and time, and be amazed. For a minute, I thought about going in my kitchen and actually trying out that, but decided to get a group of friends and try it - to see if it really does work. Shubin, also compares the analogy of smell to a chord, and how, like a chord, receptors and molecules work together to create an odor. Lastly, what fascinated me in this chapter was how many genes in human bodies are present, but remain silent and can be no longer used by a body.

Chapter 9:

Shubin talked about how essential vision is for every living organism. It was easy for me to understand this chapter because he broke it down into three sections: light-gathering molecules, tissues, and genes. One detail that struck me was how he compared the molecule in vertebrate eyes, opsin, to bacteria and ultimately stated that "modified bits of ancient bacteria lie inside our retina, helping us see" (153). Shubin also explained how there are invertebrates that are a living bridge between invertebrate eyes and vertebrate eyes because they consist of both kinds of eyes- such as the Polychaetes that have our kind of eyes in a primitive form.

Chapter 10:

Chapter ten started off with talking about the external ear, then talking about the middle ear, and finally ending with the inner ear. The external ear, Shubin explained, is a recently new addition and is only found in mammals. Though some amphibians and reptiles have ears that can be seen, they have no pinna (the projecting part of an ear lying outside). Shubin then talks about the middle ear and the three bones: malleus, incus, and stapes. While explaining the three bones, Shubin remarks that the jaw of a reptile transformed to two ear bones (malleus and incus). This happened when the jaws of reptiles slowly started becoming smaller and eventually mammals evolved and the gill arches of the reptiles (in their jaws) became the gill arches of mammals ( in their ears). Lastly, Shubin talked about the inner ear, which has many functions, including allowing us to hear, telling us which was our head is tilted, and lastly in recording how quickly our head is moving or tilting. The inner ear is fascinating as it reveals so much about how human ears and eyes are extremely similar, connected, and work together.

Chapter 11:

Lastly, in chapter eleven, Shubin summed up his points and revealed why he believes that there is an "inner fish" lying within all of us. It was interesting to see how Shubin actually connected all of his chapters in this chapter and showed that mammals are all descendants with modifications. The bozo family tree, personally, helped me see how each descendant is modified from the past and is somehow better. Also, the humans-polar bears- turtles- fish connection revealed that they are a deciphering family tree and have a pattern of relativity. Shubin compares groupings based on "hundreds of genetic, embryological, and anatomical features" (183) to peeling an onion, exposing layer after layer of history - starting with the basic features of fishes and ending with microbial bacteria. Shubin also stated that humans constantly get sick (heart diseases, strokes, obesity, etc.) because our ancestors weren't built to be able to sit for countless hours on a couch, run and walk for tremendous periods of time, or talk, think, and grasp. For this reason, humans and other organisms are to be flawed one way or another.

All in all, this book proved to be quite interesting and delighting in many chapters, but also dull and repetitive in some. It definitely renewed my interest and questioned my beliefs on evolution.