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With such robust evolutionary versatility, these cartilaginous fishes have survived not one, not two, but five mass extinctions in Earth's history.

This study significantly expands the understanding of these ancient cartilaginous fish and provides further insights into a past marine ecosystem.

Twelve out of seventeen cartilaginous fish genomes studied contained genes for the taste receptors type 2, with only one T2R gene present in each species.

It likely first evolved in vertebrates roughly 460 million years ago, when sharks and other cartilaginous fishes separated from bony vertebrates like ourselves, researchers report today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Shark conservation work in Panama is being informed by the study of fossilized shark scales, which reveal how the cartilaginous fish have responded to human intervention over time.