Scientists Study The Evolution Of Pregnancy In Mammals

Red Orbit ^ | 20 September 2008

[Soliton]

Yale researchers have shown that the origin and evolution of the placenta and uterus in mammals is associated with evolutionary changes in a single regulatory protein, according to a report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Many past studies have shown that genes are regulated and altered by changes within their own structures. This is the first work suggesting that the evolution of transcription factors — separate regulatory proteins — may play an active role in the origin and evolution of structural innovations like the placenta and uterus," said senior author Gunter Wagner, the Alison Richard Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Yale.

[kittymyrib]

How can reproduction take place in incomplete reproductive organs...hummmm??? Ask a fertility doctor what the requirements are for conception (male and female) and gestation.

[Soliton]

How can reproduction take place in incomplete reproductive organs...hummmm???

The article talks about different reproductive systems that each work. They do not talk about incomplete reproduction systems. Are you headed toward that "irreducible complexity" nonsense?

[Mogollon]

Ordinarily, the immune system identifies and destroys the dissimilar tissue as if it were a parasite. But in some early mammals, changes 'turned down' the immune system, allowing the developing embryo to grow and thrive unchallenged by the maternal immune response.

So prior to this speculative change that supposedly “turned down” the immune system, all embryo’s were destroyed? Wonder how this species survived even 2 generations?....this is the only conclusion possible.

According to Yale graduate student Vincent Lynch, lead author of the study, "We are writing a different chapter. In this case the function of a major regulatory tool was altered —

Yep. 90% of all research is performed by grad students. Great for training but research is not necessarily complete or true especially on a project like this where he is "resurrecting" genes, etc..

[Soliton]

So prior to this speculative change that supposedly “turned down” the immune system, all embryo’s were destroyed? Wonder how this species survived even 2 generations?....this is the only conclusion possible.

You are not allowed to make up your own facts

[Rudder]

How can reproduction take place in incomplete reproductive organs

Most reproduction is asexual. The "purpose" of sex is not reproduction, since that can, and does, occur without sex. Most organisms don't need any "reproductive" organs, complete or incomplete, to reproduce. You have confounded sex with reproduction.