A 100-Year Debate About the Eardrum Comes to an End

[curtis]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-100-year-debate-about-the-eardrum-comes-to-an-end/

[madaxe_again]

"Comes to an end"

Bold words. While this demonstrates that the locus of tympanic formation differs across vertebrates, the mechanism (fenestration and ossicles from mandibles) apparently remains the same - either way, I can't see how this is "case closed".

[qnaal]

> When the scientists genetically inhibited lower jaw development in both fetal mice and chickens, the mice formed neither eardrums nor ear canals. In contrast, the birds grew two upper jaws

> "kiill meeeee"

[dempseye]

This research seems barbaric.

[voxic11 → dempseye]

Aborting a chicken fetus for science seems a lot less barbaric then raising and killing animals as an unnecessary food source.

[dempseye → voxic11]

I agree.

[nkelner]

ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny

[kazinator]

> Hear, hear for genetics!

Wow, those Japanese researchers can now sure beat their drums about this research.

What a ... jaw-dropping result.