Midsummer Nights' Science: The coelacanth, its evolution, and how fish first came onto land

In the final lecture of the 2013 Midsummer Nights’ Science season, Broad Institute research scientist Jessica Alföldi shares the fascinating history of the African coelacanth, whose genome was sequenced earlier this year. The coelacanth, a highly unusual fish that closely resembles the fossils of its 300-million-year-old ancestors, has inspired decades-long debates about whether it truly is a slow-evolving fish, and how closely related it is to our own ancestor – the fish that first came up onto land. Alföldi shares how the fish’s genome has revealed about this enigmatic creature, and what it has taught us about our own evolution.

Video by Broad Communications
 

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