Somewhere in evolution the first real joint must have developed. I just don't seem to be able to find the creatures that developed a joint and how the process took place. Was there first first bone? Or did joints develop in cartilage (may explain the missing fossils of early joints). Was the first joint a syndesmosis? etc etc. Does anyone have literature on this topic?
Start looking at Amphioxus sp. there might be some papers and discussion there.
Dear Julieann,
I have read something about amphioxius. When I am not mistaken the problem with this fish like creature is that it does not have a bony spine but only a cartilage like structure, flexible, without joint like structures. I am looking for a just a little bit more developed creature, where there actually is a movable connection. On the other hand it must be somewhere in the area of amphioxious because I assume joints become more crucial when the flexibility of the tissue lessens (cartilage to bone).
Ha, I thought the Cephalochordates might be a good start otherwise you might have to start looking at the fossil record. Maybe we need a palaeontologist to give is some help here. The problem is that cartilaginous tissue would not usually give is the best fossils. Now there were real joints in the Arthropoda but I assume that you are looking at the evolution of a human joint
My other suggestion for you to see the clues to how development took place is the look carefully at the work on embryology . There are so many clues in the embryo logical development and this has been documented extensivlly
Did you try with Lamprey?
The main charasteristic of this "fish" is that they have no ATM, but I think they have joints, they are a bit more evolucionated than Amphioxus.
On the other hand, you are looking for the very first vertebrata, and we only have fossils of that.
I'll try some new research if you are still looking.
Dear Julieann and Antonio,
I am still looking and haven't found much yet. It does not so much consider human joints as the concept of a joint al together. For example, did the first mobile element occur in cartilage or chorda (difficult to see in fossils), was there bone first and did there develop flexible elements. One cell creatures can have little whip-tails (correct word?) Should we look there for the concept of joints?
More specifically, I am wondering how this first joint was controlled. It is my assumption that pressure, more than muscle, played a role, but therefore I need to know more about that first elementary joint. So any help is welcome. If Neil Shubin might be reading this, maybe he can tell us more.....
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