Richard Pallardy is a freelance science writer based in Chicago. He has written for such publications as National Geographic, Science Magazine, New Scientist, and Discover Magazine.
Scientists have finally figured out where caterpillars got their extra sets of legs from. Turns out, these chubby little limbs originate from their crustacean ancestors over 400 million years ago.
Prolegs are unjointed and feature sets of gripping hooks that function like spiky suction cups. Some species have as many as nine pairs. Unlike the six legs that most insects have, which extend from the thorax, or midsection, prolegs emerge from the abdomen. Their movement is mostly powered by hydraulic pressure — the movement of liquid into each limb."Caterpillars are just eating tubes. They are maximizing their eating and growth potential.
A third hypothesis is that they are modified endites — internally facing leg structures that were apparent in ancestral crustaceans. Because both types of limb were present when the gene was partially disabled, the researchers demonstrated that prolegs do not develop from the same types of cells as thoracic legs.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Takins: Strange, mountain-dwelling mammals with mythical golden fleecesRichard Pallardy is a freelance science writer based in Chicago. He has written for such publications as National Geographic, Science Magazine, New Scientist, and Discover Magazine.
Lire la suite »
When birds gorge on cicadas, caterpillars go unchecked and chomp their way through oak forestsScientists trace ecological effects of cicada brood to defoliation of forests
Lire la suite »
Formal remembrances begin for slain Philadelphia Police Officer Richard MendezOfficer Mendez was shot and killed while trying to stop a car break-in at a Philadelphia International Airport parking garage.
Lire la suite »
Immigration Archives - Ms. MagazineMore Than A Magazine, A Movement
Lire la suite »
J.Lo and Richard Gere Don’t Hold a Candle to the Original ‘Shall We Dance’While the American remake was disappointing, 1996's Shall We Dance by director Masayuki Suo beautifully critiques Japanese cultural divides.
Lire la suite »