Atavism

The present study aims to illustrate the circuit of symbolic correspondences between the early poetry of the Romanian Lucian Blaga (in particular «Linişte», «Biografie», and «Somn») and the late poetry of the Italian Arturo Onofri (in particular «Qualcuno stanotte m’ha scosso», «Ogni notte, nel sonno, mi riporti», and «Nel più profondo sonno, ove ogni notte»). In young Blaga’s poetry the forefathers’ songs often echo through the hearts of their descendants during evening or night hours; in Onofri’s late poetry, instead, one finds a more explicit symbolism of the “reintegration in the primordial Unity” experienced by each sleeping individual in the middle of the night. Onofri often portrays the realm of the uranic Mother to which the individual soul ascends; his Spiritual Mother may be compared with Blaga’s mystic Moon by virtue of archetypal Feminine symbolism. Through such a comparison, one recognizes that, as Jung asserted, only by living with a myth – i.e. rediscovering the archetypical images through symbolic experience –, can man gain access to the mysterious Unity of which individual existence is nothing but a transient emanation.

The ontogeny of the caudal skeleton in the Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus was examined using an extensive series of cleared and stained specimens. We demonstrate the presence of skeletal components never reported previously within the Salmonidae. In contrast to the generalized condition for salmonids, seven hypurals (instead of six), and four uroneurals (instead of three) have been found in some specimens. Variation in the number and condition of epurals is documented. New hypotheses are proposed concerning (1) relationships among centra and their associated elements, (2) phylogenetic distribution of caudal characters within the Salmonidae, and (3) homology of caudal components. Using the published phylogenetic hypotheses, we provide evidence, that a seventh hypural and a fourth uroneural are taxic atavism in salmonids. The development of the salmonid homocercal fin is discussed in the light of a polyural scheme based on evidences of a one-to-one relationship among ural centra and their associated elements.

A key challenge in evolutionary biology is to understand how new morphologies can arise through changes in gene regulatory networks. For example, floral asymmetry is thought to have evolved many times independently from a radially symmetrical ancestral condition, yet the molecular changes underlying this innovation are unknown. Here, we address this problem by investigating the action of a key regulator of floral asymmetry, CYCLOIDEA (CYC), in species with asymmetric and symmetric flowers. We show that CYC encodes a DNA-binding protein that recognises sites in a downstream target gene RADIALIS (RAD)in Antirrhinum. The interaction between CYC and RADcan be reconstituted in Arabidopsis, which has radially symmetrical flowers. Overexpression of CYC in Arabidopsis modifies petal and leaf development, through changes in cell proliferation and expansion at various stages of development. This indicates that developmental target processes are influenced by CYC in Arabidopsis, similar to the...