Rapid Evolution Saved This Fish From Pollution, Study Says Trilobites By JOANNA KLEIN DEC. 9, 2016 The New York Times The State of New Jersey says you can’t eat the fish or shellfish from the Lower Passaic River and Newark Bay. That’s because they’re living in the Diamond Alkali Superfund Site, where toxic leftovers from the manufacture of chemicals like DDT and the infamous Agent Orange oozed into surrounding waterways to be taken up by the animals that inhabited them. It’s an evolutionary miracle some of these animals are even alive. No, seriously. A fish that adapted to survive in this water shows evolution at its finest, according to a study published Thursday in Science.
The Atlantic killifish is a slippery sliver of silver about the size of a fat finger and as common as the minnow. Starting in the late 1990s, researchers became aware that the fish was tolerant of the toxic waters at the Lower Passaic Superfund site and at least three other highly polluted areas along the Atlantic coastline. The new study found that over just a few decades, distinct populations of killifish independently developed similar genetic adaptations that make life possible in the most unlikely environments. The findings show that evolution doesn’t have to start in one place to be repeated. “It’s these shared changes as well as the unique pattern of changes in these different populations that provide us with a really useful field example of how animals can respond to rapidly changing and extreme environments,” said Diane Nacci, a biologist at the Environmental Protection Agency who worked on the study.
3 Comments
12/10/2019 06:56:47 am
Striped Killifish lived in slums; dirty part of the water and it is amazing that they can tolerate the idea of living there. Perhaps, it is part of their special features; a feature that separate them from other types of fishes. Though there have been several advices that it's not safe to eat, I wouldn't be surprised to know if there are still people who catch Striped Killifish to have it sold on the market. I just hope that the public is aware of the fact that it shouldn't be eaten.
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12/17/2019 06:21:41 am
This has just made me realize how much toxic we all are as humans. These creatures don't deserve what they are receiving from us. It makes my heart aches knowing that water pollution has become the main reason why fishes die and our water became unclean. I really think that we need to do something about this and begin to think of some ways that will help our environment get back its beauty. We need to unite and help each other because the One who created this world has entrusted this world to us so we need to make sure that we do something to keep it as beautiful as it should be.
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2/19/2020 02:30:30 am
A comfortable seat equipped with damper springs is installed far from the steering wheel, which allows you to easily take a passenger on a trip. By the way, modifications have already appeared with two seats installed.
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STOP THE WILLIAMS FRACKED GAS PIPELINE THROUGH NY HARBOR! MY TOP 5 FAVORITE BOOKS ABOUT NY HARBOR 1. Field Guide to the Neighborhood Birds of New York City by Leslie Day 2.Heartbeats in the Muck by John Waldman 3. The Fisheries of Raritan Bay by Clyde L. MacKenzie Jr. 4. Waterfront: A Walk Around Manhattan by Phillip Lopate 5. The Bottom of the Harbor by Joseph Mitchell Archives
January 2018
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