A Research on how humans lost their tales taking us back millions of years ago
Imagine a society in which people had tails and swung around trees like their ancestors, the primates. As entertaining as that thought may be, a recent study explains why humans are devoid of these appendages. Before their tails disappeared from the fossil record between 25 and 20 million years ago, our ancestors utilised them to hold branches while swinging through the trees, which was one of the most significant evolutionary shifts in our genealogy.
A particular genetic modification has been shown to be the cause of the loss of this distinctive characteristic by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health.
The researchers created mice with the identical TBXT gene change in order to study the effects of this genetic modification. The findings were startling: although some mice were born completely tailless, others had shorter tails.
These differences offer hard proof that the AluY insertion in the TBXT gene directly affects how a monkey’s tail develops and ultimately leads to its extinction. The experiment illustrated how the genetic change seen in humans and apes has practical implications.
Implications of this Research
This study clarifies the ways in which evolution influences our physical characteristics as well as our susceptibility to specific illnesses. The study shows that evolution affects our susceptibility to health problems in addition to bringing about physical changes.
Evolutionary changes need to be taken into account from a broader standpoint, taking into account both any potential health hazards and advantages.
A gene known as TBXT, the insertion appeared to cause apes to lose their tails. Our cells contain millions of these elements, which were once dubbed “junk DNA” by scientists because they were thought to be randomly distributed and seemingly purposeless pieces of information that littered the human genome.
The AluY element belongs to the Alu elements, a broader family of jumping genes. The AluY element also happened to be positioned one exon, or protein-encoding section, over from another Alu element after leaping into the TBXT gene.
In the RNA that the gene produced, the Alu elements paired because their pointing directions were opposite. As a result, a loop was created that stopped the exon from contributing to the synthesis of the protein required for tail formation.
The scientists concurrently introduced both Alu elements into the TBXT gene of a mouse embryo using CRISPR gene-editing technology. The resultant mice initially kept their tails. However, the mice had shorter tails or none at all when the researchers added more of the same components.
Furthermore, some of the mice that lost their tails developed neural tubes that did not seal completely, leading to a spinal cord abnormality resembling spina bifida, a disorder that now affects one in 1,000 newborn humans, according to the new study.
It’s possible that various evolutionary factors contributed to tail loss in each lineage of modern-day animals, and we may never be able to pinpoint exactly what those pressures were.
The Benefits of Leading a Tailless Life
For our earliest human ancestors, the change to a tailless form had profound effects. When our predecessors were not limited by a tail, they improved their balance and mobility, which was essential for walking on two feet.
This adaptation made it easier to stand up straight, which allowed people to utilise their hands for social interaction, foraging, and tool-making.
The fact that apes and humans have successfully evolved without tails emphasises the benefits of having this feature—or not—for navigating the terrestrial and arboreal habitats they have inhabited.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the tale of when and how humans lost their tails is an intriguing turn in the evolution narrative. It demonstrates how genetics, environment, and adaptation interact to produce evolutionary change in a dynamic way.
The loss of the tail is evidence of the difficult evolutionary path that humans have taken, showing how even seemingly insignificant physical changes can have a significant influence on a species’ course.
The story of the lost tail continues to be a crucial component in our knowledge of what makes each of us uniquely human, even as we continue to solve the mysteries surrounding our history.
