Sean Munroe1/30/15Period 8Atavism

Atavism is the re-emergence of an evolutionarily ancient trait that is normally kept suppressed. The article Modern Wolfmen May Have Inherited Ancient Gene gives many different examples of atavism. These examples include, people born with multiple sets of nipples, the extension of the human coccyx into a small tail, the re-appearance of hind limbs in whales, the growth of extra toes in cats and horses, and, in very rare cases, the development of an extra breast in females during puberty. The main example of atavism that the article writes about is the rare hereditary condition of excess hair(generalized hypertrichosis).

It is theorized that the mexican family has had a recent atavistic mutation. In other words, the mutation awakened a gene that was put aside throughout evolution. The 32 family members grow a large amount of hair in only one day. The article says that some of the family members shave more than once a day. Others perform in circus acts, giving a possible source for the legend of the werewolf. Another interesting thing about this mutation is that hair is grown upon the facial regions, where apes do not grow hair. Thus suggesting that the gene has re-emerged from before hominoid apes, 25 million years ago.

The re-appearance of this gene could allow scientist to find out more about how hair grows, a topic in which scientist do not know much about. The data could open up many other scientific experiments including a better treatment for hair growth. To do this though, scientists first need to isolate the gene proper, as well as further study the protein it makes.

Atavism is a very interesting topic and appears in the world more than you might think. For example some embryos express atavistic traits in the womb, but then the traits become dormant again before birth. An example of this is in the duck-billed platypus, which grows teeth before developing a horny beak. In conclusion, atavism open the science world to a whole new topic, the fact that even though an organism doesnt express a gene, doesnt mean it just disappears.