OEB Seminar Series

 Neil Shubin
Professor, The University of Chicago

Fins to Limbs: The Forgotten Story of Fin Rays

Abstract: The transformation of  fins into limbs entailed many changes, most notable the origin of digits and the loss of the fin rays. Most studies of this shift have focused on the origin of wrists, ankles, fingers and toes, and changes to the rays has largely been ignored. Thirty years of Devonian collecting has yielded diverse and high quality fossils that allow us to assess this issue. Major changes to the fin rays were underway before the origin of limbs. Moreover, developmental evidence reveals that the origin of digits and the loss of rays may linked during embryogenesis.

Host: Graduate Students