#BLOBFISH ALIVE SKIN#

Rather than just studying one at a time, it’s now possible to look at thousands of switches at once to see if they’re set to ON or OFF in any particular cell type as it responds to signals coming from the cells around it. What’s exciting is that we’re now at a time when we can actually look inside cells and see which enhancers they’re using at any given timepoint, by using new techniques to see exactly where certain transcription factor proteins are stuck to the DNA of the switches. And it’s this unique combination of switches that gives cells, tissues and ultimately body parts their individual identity. She explains how two very closely related cell types might use a lot of the same switches to turn on the genes that they both need, but there could still be a couple of thousand enhancers that are only used in one cell or the other. “Enhancers are the most dynamically utilised part of the genome, and there's no question about it.” “Right now we can start to unpick that because we finally have the technology to do so,” she says. I take that as a no and ask her instead how our genes and the switches that control them, known as enhancers, have evolved to make something as complicated and unique as our face.

We have a whole part of the brain that is geared to facial recognition so it is possible that we as a species are better attuned to recognise it, and mice aren't as focused on the face as humans are.” “Well, there’s an evolutionary aspect to this. “But if you asked mice, would they say, ‘yeah, that mouse over there looks hot?’” “Of course! And if we took detailed measurements we would see the same level of variation as in people.” “Do mice look different from each other?” I ask her out of curiosity. Yet while it’s easy to spot this diversity among our fellow humans, it’s a lot harder to tell how this recognition might be at work in other animals. But although we’re all made according to the same basic plan, very subtle changes can make all the difference to what we look like- and how other members of our species perceive us. It may be easy on a scientific level, calculating the length of your nose or the arch of your brow. “There’s probably more variation in our faces than anywhere else, and it’s relatively easy to measure.”

“You don't have to convince people about variation when you talk about faces,” she tells me, pointing to her own finely defined features under neat blonde curls, in comparison to my snub nose and chubby cheeks. And for someone like her who’s studying how our genes build our bodies, the face is a good place to start. Each one of them has two eyes, a nose and a mouth, roughly in the places we’d expect to see them. As far as Wysocka’s concerned, they share a much more interesting and instantly recognisable feature: a face. These are all animals that scientists would class as vertebrates, meaning they all have a backbone. On her computer screen, Wysocka pulls up a picture of the fish, sitting alongside photos of a human, a chimp, a gecko and more. Alas, this story never made it into the book, but I’m sharing it with you now, because I think it’s fascinating. I first encountered the blobfish a few years ago when I went to visit Joanna Wysocka, Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology at Stanford University in California, while I was researching my first book, Herding Hemingway’s Cats, my quest to understand how our genes work.

#BLOBFISH ALIVE SKIN#

More formally known as Psychrolutes marcidus, its cartoonish big nose, flaccid skin and almost human-looking sad face have seen the blobfish named the World’s Ugliest Animal, more than a little unfairly. The fish make their nests in the rocky sea floor and stern-faced dads are fiercely protective of their young.When it comes to good looks in the natural world, the blobfish isn’t exactly at the top of the list. It can grow up to more than two feet in length, and eats small marine invertebrates. The newly crowned mascot is also known as the 'blob sculpin' and the 'fathead sculpin.' It lives at depths of over 1000 meters off coasts of California and Australia in the Pacific. That, and 'it's the ultimate couch potato.' The proboscis monkey was also a finalist. His favorite blobfish talent 'has to be the glum look it's got,' he told NBC News. 'I think it did win the fight well,' Watt, himself a fan of the blue-grey taildropper slug, conceded. Talk to Simon Watt, the UAPS's President for Life, and he will tell you that the 'panda gets too much attention.' He leads a group of comedians and science presenters who introduce the world to endangered species that folks would rather not look at.

Can an Brad Wilson, DVM / Getty Images/Flickr RM The blobfish took home a thumping victory by more than 10,000 votes, according to the BBC.

Blobfish alive