Electric Eel (IMAGE)

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Electric Eel

Caption

New research by a team led by UW-Madison biochemistry Professor Michael Sussman shows that electric fish, including the electric eel, evolved their electric organ six times independently over the course of evolutionary history. Sussman's team identified the molecular levers and developmental pathways that all six lineages of electric fish worldwide have in common, resolving a longstanding mystery of what scientists call convergent evolution, a problem Darwin himself pondered.

Credit

Jason Gallant, Michigan State University

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