Comparative anatomy

Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different organisms. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species). Comparative anatomy helps us learn are evolution and are shared ancestries. Locomotion is a really good sign that an organism is an animal. Thomas Henry Huxley was the father of Comparative Anatomy and the father of modern Paleontology and he invented the word agnostic to describe his spiritual views and he was the first person to include that birds evolved to small carnivorous dinosaurs. Huxley was born in England in 1825. Muscle Tissue is made of Actin & Myosin. Nerve Tissue generates & conducts electrical signals. Comparative anatomy has long served as evidence for evolution, it indicates that various organisms share a common ancestor. Also, it assists scientists in classifying organisms based on similar characteristics of their anatomical structures. Comparative anatomy supports Darwin's theory of descent with modification, also known as evolution. A common example of comparative anatomy is the similar bone structures in forelimbs of cats, whales, bats, and humans. All of these appendages consist of the same basic parts; yet, they serve completely different functions. The skeletal parts which form a structure used for swimming, such as a fin, would not be ideal to form a wing, which is better-suited for flight. One explanation for the forelimbs' similar composition is descent with modification. Through random mutations and natural selection anatomical structures gradually became better-adapted to the every organism's respective habitat. Huxley knew Charles Darwin. Huxley connected Paleontology and Biology. Born in 1517 Pierre Belon was a French naturalist who did research and held discussions on dolphin embryos as well as the comparisons between the skeletons of birds to the skeletons of humans. His research led to what is referred to as modern comparative anatomy. Around the same time, Andreas Vesalius was also making some strides of his own. A young anatomist of Flemish descent made famous by a penchant for amazing charts, he was systematically investigating and correcting the anatomical knowledge of the Greek physician Galen. He noticed that many of Galen's observations were not even based on actual humans. Instead, they were based on animals such as oxen.Up until that point, Galen and his teachings had been the authority on human anatomy. The irony is that Galen himself had emphasized the fact that you should make your own observations instead of using those of another. But this advice was lost during the numerous translations of his work. As Vesalius began to uncover these mistakes, other physicians of the time began to trust their own observations more than Galen. An interesting observation made by some of these physicians was the presence of homologous structures in a wide variety of animals which included humans. These observations were later used by Darwin as he formed his theory of Natural Selection. Sir Andrew Huxley won the novel prize for physiology or medicine in 1963. All animal come from the same evolutionary origin. Epithelial tissue covers organs, lines digestive tract, produces slippery fluid. Marco Aurelio Severino also compared various animals, including birds, in his Zootomia democritaea, one of the first works of comparative anatomy. Edward Tyson is regarded as the founder of comparative anatomy. He is credited with determining that marine mammals are, in fact, mammals. Also, he concluded that chimpanzees are more similar to humans than to monkeys because of their arms.