|
|
This is supposed to represent the combination of the fields of development, genetics and evolution. It was drawn and inked in May 2005, as an illustration for my doctoral thesis. The animals featured are (from bottom to top, left to right, and absolutely not to scale): the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, a random trilobite, amphioxus, a zebrafish, the frog Xenopus laevis, the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana (also known as a sea monkey, I think), a mouse and a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). They're all relevant in some sense; the nematode, zebrafish, frog, mouse and fly are all model animals for developmental biology (and thus, frequently, evolutionary studies). The shrimp is often used in comparison to the fruit fly, as a different arthropod, and amphioxus is thought to be representative of the ancestor of the first true chordates. The trilobite is there because trilobites are cool, and at 3am, that counts as relevant ^^
toothycat.net is copyright Sergei and Morag Lewis