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Scientists have traced human tail loss to a short sequence of genetic code

cnn.com

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Re: Scientists have traced human tail loss to a short sequence of genetic code

#141

Post by codetrotter »

tempaccount420 wrote: post #126
speedylight wrote: post #120

Would be cool if we had tails, so I could wag it with my future dog!

But imagine if your tail was hairless :/

That sounds like an opportunity for a whole industry to emerge tbh.

Hi we are Tailstyle! For far too long we’ve been accepting that our tails need to be naked like the rest of our bodies. Today I am offering you a share in our company for a very good price. Sharks, listen, everyone knows that wigs and toupees are amazing. What if I told you that my company we can put semi-permanent hair on your tail to look like a tiger! Or a panther? Or you could even have your tail look like that big flying dog in that one movie from the 80s you know which one I mean.

And not only that. We’re also making tail socks that you can wear for special occasions! Christmas tail socks. Wedding tail socks. Funeral tail socks. Homecoming ball tail socks. You name it!

Re: Scientists have traced human tail loss to a short sequence of genetic code

#143

Post by junon »

b112 wrote: post #124

Meanwhile, 140k years ago, our 3rd civilization approached our current level of tech. Fashion designers, specifically a group lead by Argot the Great, decided the tail made pants difficult, and broke the lay of suit jackets. So they hired radicals to genetically engineer a retrovirus, to remove the tail. This worked, but due to unconsidered balance issues, all tail devoid children lost the capability for bipedal bala…

What is this referencing?

Re: Scientists have traced human tail loss to a short sequence of genetic code

#144

Post by ndsipa_pomu »

wizzwizz4 wrote: post #107
ndsipa_pomu wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious about the "garbage collected" theory as there doesn't seem like a lot of selection pressure to remove tails simply due to them not being useful and consuming energy to grow. The appendix is a far more likely candidate for garbage collection as it has no obvious function and can easily cause death if it bursts. I suspect that there's another reason that apes lost their tails - most likely related to walkin…

> The appendix is a far more likely candidate for garbage collection as it has no obvious function Preserving the gut microbiome through diarrhoea and vomiting.

I didn't know about that, but it seems a poor trade-off to me. Acute appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency in the world.

Re: Scientists have traced human tail loss to a short sequence of genetic code

#145

Post by taneq »

vba616 wrote: post #110
larodi wrote: post #101

time to bring it back then, alongside horn implants, and third tit.

How about a third eye? "The parietal eye is found in the tuatara, most lizards, frogs, salamanders, certain bony fish, sharks, and lampreys...It is absent in mammals, but was present in their closest extinct relatives, the therapsids" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parietal_eye You may wish to consult your pineal gland.

Would be handy for navigating the warp. ;)

Re: Scientists have traced human tail loss to a short sequence of genetic code

#148

Post by brohee »

ndsipa_pomu wrote: post #144
wizzwizz4 wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The appendix is a far more likely candidate for garbage collection as it has no obvious function Preserving the gut microbiome through diarrhoea and vomiting.

I didn't know about that, but it seems a poor trade-off to me. Acute appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency in the world.

Yet most people never suffer it, while I'd assume 100% of the population suffered bouts of vomiting/diarrhea. Looks like the trade-off is alright.

Re: Scientists have traced human tail loss to a short sequence of genetic code

#149

Post by swasheck »

gumby wrote: post #146

I’d really enjoy a prehensile tail, despite the adaptations required for trousers and chairs. Also, I was enough a nerd growing up that other kids would have pulled it.

i suspect there would be adaptations to a variety of other things like sleep, bipedal locomotion, defecation, etc.

Re: Scientists have traced human tail loss to a short sequence of genetic code

#150

Post by konstantinua00 »

makeitdouble wrote: post #133
agumonkey wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

wings

Wings are so fascinating. Flying animals have their whole body, from their brain, digestive system, down to their bones internal structure and function [0] optimized for flight. That's where we see species giving up flight ability to get a stronger body, and I wonder what it would take for us to do the reverse to be able to use these wings in any way. [0] https://www.montananaturalist.org/blog-post/avian-adaptation..…

Just need to go to Titan

atmosphere thick enough, gravity low enough

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