Did we descend from an electric fish?

[apistomaster]

I came across this short mention in the NYT referencing a paper published in Nature that humans and all non-fish vertebrates may have evolved from a branch of the electric fishes.
Shocking, eh?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/opini ... ef=opinion

[sidguppy]

your title is confusing
theres a huge difference between electric fish and fish that can sense electricity........


the first are all ray finned fishes with the exception of the Electric Rays (Torpediniformes).
the ray finned electric fish include electric Catfish (Malapterurus etc), Mormyrids, South American Knife fishes (Gymnotids).

the second include many others and that group is diverse and more important; not related to each other; the small Glass catfish (Kryptopterus) for example has the capability to sense electricity, but so has the Hammerhead Shark.
the latter uses it for hunting, as many other sharks do; but it's developed to the extreme, perhaps causing the odd headshape.

land dwelling vertebrates have evolved from fleshy lobed fish.
unfortunately few of these are around today and I don't know if Latimeria (Coelacanth) posess these structures
it's likely, since it's a deep water hunter, but I'm not sure.

[apistomaster]

Hi Sid,
Without reading the original paper published in Nature, I inferred the conclusion that a bony electric fish is what is implicated since all higher vertebrates that are more advanced than any living fish re-purposed their electric capabilities to evolve their more complex biochemical/bio-electric senses.

[dw1305]

Hi all,
I haven't seen it, but I should be able to access the Nature paper, and I'm sure Sidguppy is right. The ability to produce and use electricity is pretty wide spread in "fish". I put fish in inverted commas as they aren't a natural taxonomic grouping (they don't form a clade, they aren't "monophyletic"), and electric organs must have evolved on numerous occasions.

Via the "Tree of Life"
<http://tolweb.org/Sarcopterygii/14922>

But for those who like a more laid back version, it is all here, but you need the sound on:
"Your mama was a lobe-finned fish"
http://esciencecommons.blogspot.com/200 ... sh_06.html.

cheers Darrel

[excuzzzeme]

Considering that electricity drives our nervous system as well as the nervous system of most living things, I sort of doubt that there is any singular answer as to how we evolved. When you try to make a leap from one species to another in the evolution chain, you can find enough "evidence" to support your hypothesis. Of course we all know someone we think was around during that time and are still present today but even they don't support some of these ideas. (well, they certainly don't fall into any category do they? ) I think it is, and always will be, one of the great unknowns.

[crkinney]

Whats you guys smoken?
mule