Can Evolution Run in Reverse? A Study Says It’s a One-Way Street

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEdm1GoUo-o&feature=player_embedded

KEY IDEAS:

· Evolutionary biologists have long wondered if history can run backward.

· So far, they say that it cannot happen because mutations make it practically impossible for evolution to reverse direction.

· Some scientists took a close look at the possibility of reverse evolution at a molecular level by studying a protein called a glucocorticoid receptor that helps humans cope with stress.

· Evolution is not ever reversible, but it may go backward when the evolution of the trait is simple, like when a single mutation is involved. (From Dr. Thorton)

· Evolution cannot be reversed.

REFLECTION:

This article really jumped out at me. This is a question that seemed really interesting and showed that advancements in science are truly remarkable. Before I read it, I somewhat knew the answer: that evolution can’t be reversed. The evolutionary scientists in this article preformed an experiment involving proteins to see if they could reverse genetic mutations caused by evolution. They came to the conclusion that evolution really can’t be reversed, but there is a chance that the mutation may go backwards if the evolution of the trait is simple. I think it would be interesting to learn more about this subject. This course helped me to understand this topic because we studied evolution.

MLA: Zimmer, Carl. "Can Evolution Run in Reverse? A Study Says It’s a One-Way Street." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 28 Sept. 2009. Web. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/science/29evol.html.