May 2, 2015 04:55 AM
http://www.science20.com/news_articles/c...ion-155175
EXCERPT: The ability to move in water is key to existence for many species so it may not be a surprise that so many species have converged on swimming. What is intriguing is how diverse creatures have evolved to swim with elongated fins using the same mechanical motion that optimizes their speed. The Persian carpet flatworm, the cuttlefish and the black ghost knifefish are nothing like each other - their last common ancestor lived 550 million years ago, before the Cambrian period - but all three aquatic creatures converged evolutionarily on the same swimming, according to a new study uses a combination of computer simulations, a robotic fish and video footage of real fish....
EXCERPT: The ability to move in water is key to existence for many species so it may not be a surprise that so many species have converged on swimming. What is intriguing is how diverse creatures have evolved to swim with elongated fins using the same mechanical motion that optimizes their speed. The Persian carpet flatworm, the cuttlefish and the black ghost knifefish are nothing like each other - their last common ancestor lived 550 million years ago, before the Cambrian period - but all three aquatic creatures converged evolutionarily on the same swimming, according to a new study uses a combination of computer simulations, a robotic fish and video footage of real fish....