Different snake species have independently evolved fangs that allow them to inject venom into other animals, either to attack prey or for defence. Now we know how: they turned small wrinkles inside the base of the fang – an ancient feature inherited by most living snakes – into deep channels to carry venom towards the tip.
Alessandro Palci at Flinders University in Australia and his colleagues wanted to explain the origins of venom fangs, which are found in so many species of snake that they must have evolved on several separate occasions.
Krista Charles, “Snakes evolved venom fangs multiple times from wrinkles in their teeth” at New Scientist (August 10, 2021)
A friend writes to protest “But this could happen to any of us.”
Sure, maybe, if you have fangs. But, in any event, convergent evolution can definitely happen to any of us.
Of course, it’s even more unlikely to have all just happened by chance a number of times than just once. Nonetheless, New Scientist tries valiantly to ascribe it all to natural selection (acting on random mutation).
“Evolution” in this vid appears to be some kind of wizard.
See also: Evolution appears to converge on goals—but in Darwinian terms, is that possible?
and
Has New Scientist returned abjectly to Darwin’s fold?