How Dr. Frankenstein saved humanity

Speaking of beasts. Interesting fact about Sharks.

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link:http://www.postandcourier.com/news/sharks-equipped-to-handle-climate-change/article_3b9b7be4-9adc-11e6-9792-a77909ddffe0.html

Sharks equipped to handle climate change

By Bo Petersen bopete@postandcourier.com

The apex predators, along with rays and some other fish species evidently use proteins to modify their genes to respond to rapid environmental changes without having to go through the drawn out process of genetic evolution. The staggering finding was made in a study released by researchers from English and Canadian universities.

The finding is not only groundbreaking, it offers a little optimism over the fate of other species as they face off against the environmental stresses of warming sea, air and land. Many, particularly longer-lived species, might be more resilient than believed.

“We hope our findings will open the door for more detailed research on the role the epigenetics (non-evolutionary changes) may play in allowing vulnerable and ecologically important fish to persist through this period of global warming,” said Jack Lighten, University of East Anglia environmental scientist, the study’s lead author.

“It’s really, really cool. This study is exciting,” said Gavin Naylor, College of Charleston biology professor who has studied sharks and rays and is part of a team exploring the adaptive abilities of sharks. It confirms researchers’ suspicion that life forms don’t just evolve but have a “bag of tricks” to adapt to stresses.

“I think that’s exactly what it means. Organisms have a toolbag of responses they use to survive,” he said. The study also explains why any number of species have animals that are starkly different but genetically identical, he said.