A
fish of a different color - February 2006 The zebrafish, a small but flashy aquarium pet, may seem
like an unlikely informant on questions of human genetics —
yet its genome could hold the keys to understanding many
diseases and, surprisingly, the genes underlying human skin
color. In December 2005, a cancer research team headed by
Keith Cheng at Penn State University announced that their
studies of the mutant "golden" zebrafish had taken an
unexpected turn: they had discovered a single human gene that
accounts for about 30% of the difference in skin color between
African and European descendents...
Evolution
101 This in-depth, multi-part course takes you
through evolutionary theory and mechanisms, from definitions
to details, natural selection to genetic drift, mutations to
punctuated equilibrium.
Battling
bacterial evolution: The work of Carl Bergstrom This research profile examines how the scientist Carl
Bergstrom uses computer modeling to understand and control the
evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria in hospitals.
The
Arthropod Story This interactive investigation
delves into the amazing world of the arthropods and examines
their success and their evolutionary constraints.
This site
was created by the University of California Museum of Paleontology with
support provided by the National Science Foundation (grant no. 0096613)
and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (grant no. 51003439).