On the Evolution of Lampreys*

from the Series Raise Your Voice…

By PETER MOLENAAR

When pondering the glory of biological evolution, one must at least acknowledge the appearance of intelligent design, that is, the intervention of an unseen “higher power”. Those who believe that consciousness is a product of the evolution of matter are not exempt from this consideration, even as a theologian must pose the question: whence the parasitic lamprey?

SCIENTISTS AND THEOLOGIANS UNITE!

It was not so terribly long ago; that the original planktonic mix gave birth to some zillion critters with the advantage of bilateral symmetry. Eventually, this massive genomic potentiality would render us the echinoderms with their exoskeletons and radial symmetry (think starfish, sea urchins, etc.). Fun fact: the larval stage of all echinoderms retains the original bilateral symmetry.

Perhaps every school child is familiar with the fossilized remains of the crinoid, species of which exist to this day. Crinoids, a type of echinoderm, are the source of the little calcareous circles found within layer upon layer of our limestone cliffs. The living crinoid was, in part, an assemblage of these disks which formed a tube topped with feathery appendages which served both respiration and the filter feeding mode. Hopefully, an aspiring biologist from this Neighborhood will pursue the hypothesis that such appendages were the precursor to the gills deployed by our fish.… Read the rest “On the Evolution of Lampreys*”