Similar Stem Cells In Insect And Human Gut
"The six-legged fruitfly appears to have little in common with humans, but a new finding shows that they are really just tiny, distant cousins. Scientists at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Embryology have found that adult fruitflies have the same stem cells controlling cell regulation in their gut as humans do. The research is important for understanding digestive disorders, including some cancers, and for developing cures. “The fact that fruitflies have the same genetic programming in their intestines as humans, strongly suggests that we were both cut from the same evolutionary cloth more than 500 million years ago,” stated lead author of the December 7, on-line Nature paper, Benjamin Ohlstein."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051209175959.htmI love that first sentence! "The six-legged fruitfly appears to have little in common with humans, but a new finding shows that they are really just tiny, distant cousins."
Almost Kafkaesque...
:hippie: