Who else, but Homo sapiens sapiens. The genetic basis of tail-loss evolution in humans & apes: Bo Xia & others, they started with the reasoning that our ancestors lost their tails after mutations.
The mutations altered more than 30 genes involved in the development of tails in various species. For this they compared the DNA of six species of tail-less apes to nine species of tailed monkeys. That discovered a mutation that is shared by apes & humans, but is missing in monkeys. It is a gene called TBXT.
It was one of the first genes to be identified by scientists nearly a century ago, the mutation that Bo Xia of the New York University school of Medicine & the lead author of the study discovered, had not been observed earlier.
It consisted of 300 genetic letters in the middle of the TBXT gene.This stretch was identical in humans & apes. it was inserted in precisely the same place in their genome.
To test the idea that the mutation was involved in the disappearance of the tail, the scientists genetically engineered mice with TBXT mutation that is carried by humans. Many animals failed to grow a tail, some developed a short tail.
The researchers have proposed that this mutation randomly struck an ape some 20 million years ago. This tail-less animal survived & thrived. The trait then was passed on to its offspring.
All the ancestors of humans had tails but they lost them some 25 million years ago. This change was noted by Charles Darwin. Ridiculed once, his theories have stood the test of time. Exactly why & how was unknown. The recent research just shows again why is he the all time great.
“Father of Evolution ” the title sits on him perfectly.
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