Amphioxus

Amphioxus are lancelets who are commonly found in sandy areas in tropical waters. These small creatures can not only serve as a means of nutrition, but also as scientific research. The fasicination found in Amphioxus is in its origins. Dating back over 500 million years ago, these prehistoric animals hold a valuable clue to the evolution of vertibrates. In particular, scientist are interested in how these animals portray how vertebrates shed old, unused genes as a result of genetic drift and natural selection. These ideas were touched on in the book "Origins of Life" as well as in our class discussion. Amphioxus along with bacteria each exhibit a real circumstance where evolution has led to a change in physical and chemical structures.