CRUI: Biomimetic Evolutionary Analysis: the Origin of Vertebrae via Computational and Robotic Simulations of Fish

尽管它们的名字叫脊椎骨，但最初的脊椎动物是没有脊椎骨的，脊椎骨是大多数现存物种背部的骨头。在五个不同的古代鱼类种群中，椎骨至少在五个不同的时期独立地从非骨骨骼进化而来。生物学家多年来一直试图了解脊椎动物进化过程中的这些关键事件。重建椎骨进化的麻烦在于，由于事件发生在近4亿年前，科学家无法直接观察和测试自然选择的作用。为了了解选择是如何运作的，研究人员计划建造、游泳、竞争和繁殖人工鱼。研究人员预测，在计算机化和机器鱼中，椎骨将反复进化，以响应提高游泳速度、加速度和机动性的选择。为了增加其他现实效果，一个种群（计算机化或机器人化）的成功个体将被转移到另一个种群，这一移民过程被认为是推动真实生物系统大规模进化变化的关键因素。如果这些人工鱼的进化不产生椎骨，那么真鱼的椎骨的进化就不太可能是为了提高游泳能力和导航能力而进行的选择。因此，研究人员计划使用人造脊椎动物来模拟真实的脊椎动物，并检查不同进化情景的可行性。在这个项目的四年中，该项目为28名本科生提供了为期两年的研究学徒和导师结合的经验。从暑期研究学徒开始，学生们在一名回国学生和一名主要研究人员的指导下，以团队的形式工作，掌握技术，进行和分析实验，并解释和展示结果。在项目的第二年，每个学生都已经发展成为一个独立的研究者，在高级研究论文中进行自己设计的项目，并作为即将到来的研究学徒的同伴导师回来。该项目特别强调来自代表性不足群体的学生的参与，让学生在专业科学会议和同行评议的科学论文中展示他们的成果，并为学生在研究生阶段继续从事科学研究提供支持。关于这项研究和培训计划的更多信息可以在http://faculty.vassar.edu/jolong/vertebrae.html上找到。

In spite of their name, the first vertebrates evolved without vertebrae, which are the bones in the backs of most living species. Vertebrae have evolved independently at least five different times, in five different groups of ancient fishes, from a non-bony skeleton. Biologists have sought for years to understand these critical events in vertebrate evolution. The trouble with reconstructing the evolution of vertebrae is that since events occurred nearly 400 million years ago scientists are unable to directly observe and test natural selection in action. To understand how selection may have operated, the investigators plan to build, swim, compete, and reproduce artificial fish. In the computerized and robotic fish, investigators predict that vertebrae will evolve repeatedly in response to selection for increased swimming speed, acceleration, and maneuverability. To add other realistic effects, successful individuals from one population (computerized or robotic) will be transferred to the other, a process of immigration thought to be a key factor driving large-scale evolutionary change in real biological systems. If the evolution of these artificial fish does not produce vertebrae, it is unlikely that the vertebrae of real fish evolved in response to selection for enhanced swimming performance and navigation. Thus, the investigators plan to use artificial vertebrates, constructed to mimic real vertebrates, and to examine the feasibility of different evolutionary scenarios. Throughout the four years of this program, the project offers 28 undergraduates a two-year combined apprenticeship-mentorship experience in research. Beginning with a summer research apprenticeship, cohorts of students work as teams, under the mentorship of a returning student and one of the principal investigators, to master technique, conduct and analyze experiments, and interpret and present results. By their second year in the program, each student has developed into an independent investigator, conducting a project of their own design for a senior research thesis and returning as a peer mentor for incoming research apprentices. The project places particular emphasis on involving students from underrepresented groups, having students present their results at professional scientific meetings and in peer-reviewed scientific papers, and providing support for students to continue in research science at the graduate school level. Additional information about this research and training program may be found at:http://faculty.vassar.edu/jolong/vertebrae.html.