"The Evolutionary Advantage of Losing Tails: Uncovering the Genetic Code in Humans and Apes"
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Phys.org
A new study published in Nature explores the genetic changes that enabled our ape ancestors to lose their tails, shedding light on the high mutation rate in humans and the prevalence of genetic diseases. The research identified a genetic mechanism involving "jumping genes" that altered the processing of a tail-determining gene, leading to the evolution of taillessness. While being tailless provided an evolutionary advantage, it also resulted in occasional genetic and developmental diseases, such as spina bifida, as a byproduct. This study challenges the notion of evolutionary progress and highlights the costs associated with genetic changes.