Sean Munroe

1/30/15
Period 8

Atavism
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 reemerged 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.