Kennesaw State University Magazine Summer 2011 KSU Magazine : Page 29
Davis was among a group of researchers that found Tiktaalic roseae or “fishapod.” the Past for a deeper understanding of this evolutionary milestone — the link from fish to land-roaming tetrapods.” Davis said his current research explores the mechanisms of evolutionary change that underlie the origins of new animal body plans. “I integrate information from the fossil record with the investigation of developmental mechanisms in living vertebrates. I’m trying to determine whether fish have fingers, or something that became fingers in all of us ‘land fish.’” The patterns of limb evolution across hundreds of millions of years have allowed researchers like Davis to develop hypotheses about how limbs form and which genes are involved. So, besides the evolutionary insights, these discoveries may lead to medical breakthroughs since many fish and amphibians can replace damaged or lost limbs. Kennesaw State professor’s Arctic research offers hope in the study of birth defects Since these vertebrates and mammals, including humans, use mostly the same genes to build their limbs, researchers are confident it will one day be possible to regenerate lost digits and limbs in humans. “Insights from our study also have allowed us to clarify the very confusing observations that have been made regarding birth defects in humans. Which is why, in polydactylism, one of the most common forms of birth defects, there are extra digits – six, seven or eight but never more than eight digits,” Davis said. Davis made a return trip to the Arctic this summer. “It is now time to open the next chapter in exploration and I have been invited back to play a role,” he said. “We are excited to explore some new exposures, on new islands, that we did not explore over the last decade.” 29 Kennesaw State University Magazine | SUMMER 2011
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