Chicago Paleontologist Prepares for Return to the Arctic

FRIEDMAN PRESIDENT OF THE OF AN H BOND FAMILY FUN.

WITH THE PANDEMIC DELAY TRIP IS A RETURN TO THE CANADIAN ARCTIC.

IN AREA WHERE HE MADE A CAREER DEFINING DISCOVERY.

HE FOUND THE MISSING LINK FOSSIL OF ONE OF THE FIRST CREATURES EMERGE FROM THE WATER ONTO LAND.

CHICAGO TONIGHT PRODUCER KANE GOT UP AND BEGAN BY ASKING HIM WHERE HIS PASSION OF PALEONTOLOGY CAME FROM.

>> I WAS ALWAYS A SCIENCE NERD, ALWAYS.

ONE WAS A KID IN HIGH SCHOOL MY PARENTS WANTED A TELESCOPE.

THEY PUT UP WITH EVERY HOBBY I HAD.

WHEN I GOT TO COLLEGE I WENT TO SCHOOL NEAR ONE OF THE GREAT MUSEUMS WHICH IS THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE.

AND I GOT TO KNOW PALEONTOLOGY.

AND HERE I SAW THESE PEOPLE OUT IN THE FIELD ALL THESE DIFFERENT PLACES IN THE WORLD FROM SOUTH AMERICA TO CHINA.

TO AFRICA AND COMING BACK WITH THESE TREASURES THAT TOLD US ABOUT THE HISTORY OF LIFE.

AND I SAID TO MYSELF I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO DO THAT.

THE WHOLE IDEA IS FINE PLACES AROUND THE WORLD THAT HAVE ROCKS OF THE RIGHT AGE AND RIGHT ANSWERS.

IN THE QUESTION I HAD IS THE TRANSITION FROM FISH TO LAND MAMMAL.

THIS GLOBAL EASTER EGG HUNT, THIS MYTHICAL CREATURE WE FOUND IN ANTARCTICA IN 2019.

YOU SEE ALL THIS WEIGHT HERE THAT ARE BONES.

THIS IS A COOL MAP A GEOLOGICAL MAP THAT ARE COLOR-CODED TO SHOW WHAT KIND OF ROCKS ARE WHERE.

THIS IS WHERE WE FIND THE RIGHT PLACES TO WORK.

WE DISCOVERED THE FISH RIGHT HERE THESE ARE ROCKS 375 MILLION YEARS OLD.

IT IS A LONG TIME HORIZON TO FIND ANYTHING AND PLACES WE WORK.

IN THE ARCTIC IT TOOK SIX YEARS.

THE REASON FOR THAT DISPOSAL ARE RELATIVELY SMALL IN THE ARCTIC IS HUGE.

ONE OF THE GREAT DOORS IF YOU GO PLACES NOBODY HAS WALKED BEFORE.

YOU FIND VERY LITTLE EVIDENCE OF HUMAN IMPACT.

WHICH MAKES IT REALLY SPECIAL.

TO ME THE ABSOLUTE MOST EXCITING PART IS DROPPING ON A NEW PLACE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

SEEING THE ROCKS AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE TREASURE WILL BE.

FOR ME THAT IS THE MOST EXCITING THING.

THIS SUMMER WE WANT TO GO DOWN HERE.

WE KNOW THERE ARE FOSSILS THESE ARE TOO GOOD NOT TO HOLD FOSSILS.

I AM TOTALLY STOKED ABOUT WORKING HERE.

I WANTED TO BE HERE IN 2020.

I WAS COUNSEL.

$2,021 COUNSEL.

2022 WAS CANCELED, 2023 LET'S DO THIS THAT IS WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.

HERE IN THIS PART OF THE LAB WE LOOK AT ITS DNA.

AND WE ASK THE QUESTION, HOW DOES A FISH, A LIVING FISH A TROUT ANY FISH ALIVE.

HOW DOES A FISH DIFFER FROM A LAND LIVING ANIMAL LIKE A FROG, A MOUSE OR A BIRD?

ONE PART OF THE ANSWER YOU GO FROM TRAVELING AROUND THE WORLD AND FINDING FOSSILS.

TO TELL US HOW THAT HAPPENED.

THE SECRETS OF EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES OF FISH TO PLAN TO MAMMAL.

BUT ANOTHER APPROACH THE APPROACH WE DO IN THIS PART OF THE FLAP.

IS ASKED THE QUESTION GENETICALLY.

HOW DID THE GENES THAT BUILT THE EVENT OF A FISH DIFFERENT FROM THE THEN THE BILL THE ARM OF A HUMAN OR THE FROG.

THOSE TWO APPROACHES TOGETHER GIVES A MORE COMPLETE ANSWER.

ONE OF THE REALLY INTERESTING DISCOVERIES IS THAT MANY OF GENES THE WE ARE AFTER TO BUILD HER OWN HANDS AND FEET ARE ACTIVE IN THE FISH.

MAKING THE END OF THEIR FIN.

PART OF THE EVOLUTION FROM LIS TO FINS IS USING THE DNA IN NEW WAYS IT IS REPURPOSED SEEN.