Every animal is unique in their own liking and in recent studies they have proven to be more closely related than what was thought. While there are some studies which believe animals can't be studied to understand the human body, there are many studies which believe they can. For instance, model animals such as squid and fruit flies have helped scientists understand human genetics and nerves, although animals cannot completely help scientists as they still greatly differ from the human body.
Scientists first observed homeotic genes in fruit flies by studying absurd body development such as feet growing in the area of the mouth (University of UTAH, 2015). They were called "homeotic" as one body part was replaced with another. This also meant the cells in the mouth had the genetic information needed to produce a full leg. From this finding Ed Lewis and a group of researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) discovered this was due to genes known as "hox" which are arranged on the fruit fly's body in the same order as they are on the chromosomes (Wikipedia, 2015). This told scientists each cell in the human body contains genetic information for the entire body not just one part and hox genes are responsible for dictating which genes are turned "on" or "off" to produce a particular body part. Thus, studying animals has provided scientists with explanations for human genetics.
Studying fruit flies has also helped understand the causes of blindness in other animals and could possibly help cure Aniridia in humans in the near future (Nash, 2009). According to Charles E. Boklage "we can put Pax6 genes from the mouse into cells from eyeless fruit flies, then put those transgenic cells into fruit fly embryos, and grow fruit flies with mouse PaX6 in place of their missing eyeless gene. Those transgenic flies make perfectly good eyes, normal in structure and function" (Bocklage, 2010) This means scientists now know which component is the cause of Aniridia in humans so they may produce a cure or treatment in the near future. In fact, they are close to developing an eye drop which can assist damaged cells in producing new PAX6 protein (Gregory-Evans, 2013). However, without knowing the cause of the disease through studying animals, development for a treatment would have been significantly harder.
Comparing genes such as Pax6 has become useful in understanding exactly how similar animal genes are to humans as well (Service, 2015). According to the Hemophilia online database, 75% of fruit flies share the same genes that cause disease in humans which is why human diseases such as Aniridia can be studied on a smaller and less complex model (fruit fly) (Wikipedia, 2015). The Alzheimer's society believes "by tinkering with the genes in fruit flies and observing the outcomes, scientists can improve their understanding of what role those genes play in human biology" (Mudher, 2015). Therefore, this shows again how studying animals has helped scientists understand complex human diseases or conditions such as Alzheimer's and Aniridia.
Studying animals such as squids has proven to be useful in understanding nerve cells and the brain. Human nerve cells are too small for scientists to observe so it is difficult for them to study conditions such as epilepsy. However, squids have giant nerve cells, among the largest cells in nature which has allowed scientists such as Hodgkin and Huxley understand the brain's electrical language, "action potential" (Mehta, 2012). They discovered some channels open at the start of action potential which allow sodium ions into the axon and some open later which allow potassium ions out of the axon. However, occasionally these channels malfunction which cause epilepsy. This has since changed how scientists understood human brain cells.
Scientists first observed homeotic genes in fruit flies by studying absurd body development such as feet growing in the area of the mouth (University of UTAH, 2015). They were called "homeotic" as one body part was replaced with another. This also meant the cells in the mouth had the genetic information needed to produce a full leg. From this finding Ed Lewis and a group of researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) discovered this was due to genes known as "hox" which are arranged on the fruit fly's body in the same order as they are on the chromosomes (Wikipedia, 2015). This told scientists each cell in the human body contains genetic information for the entire body not just one part and hox genes are responsible for dictating which genes are turned "on" or "off" to produce a particular body part. Thus, studying animals has provided scientists with explanations for human genetics.
Studying fruit flies has also helped understand the causes of blindness in other animals and could possibly help cure Aniridia in humans in the near future (Nash, 2009). According to Charles E. Boklage "we can put Pax6 genes from the mouse into cells from eyeless fruit flies, then put those transgenic cells into fruit fly embryos, and grow fruit flies with mouse PaX6 in place of their missing eyeless gene. Those transgenic flies make perfectly good eyes, normal in structure and function" (Bocklage, 2010) This means scientists now know which component is the cause of Aniridia in humans so they may produce a cure or treatment in the near future. In fact, they are close to developing an eye drop which can assist damaged cells in producing new PAX6 protein (Gregory-Evans, 2013). However, without knowing the cause of the disease through studying animals, development for a treatment would have been significantly harder.
Comparing genes such as Pax6 has become useful in understanding exactly how similar animal genes are to humans as well (Service, 2015). According to the Hemophilia online database, 75% of fruit flies share the same genes that cause disease in humans which is why human diseases such as Aniridia can be studied on a smaller and less complex model (fruit fly) (Wikipedia, 2015). The Alzheimer's society believes "by tinkering with the genes in fruit flies and observing the outcomes, scientists can improve their understanding of what role those genes play in human biology" (Mudher, 2015). Therefore, this shows again how studying animals has helped scientists understand complex human diseases or conditions such as Alzheimer's and Aniridia.
Studying animals such as squids has proven to be useful in understanding nerve cells and the brain. Human nerve cells are too small for scientists to observe so it is difficult for them to study conditions such as epilepsy. However, squids have giant nerve cells, among the largest cells in nature which has allowed scientists such as Hodgkin and Huxley understand the brain's electrical language, "action potential" (Mehta, 2012). They discovered some channels open at the start of action potential which allow sodium ions into the axon and some open later which allow potassium ions out of the axon. However, occasionally these channels malfunction which cause epilepsy. This has since changed how scientists understood human brain cells.