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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

How did the giraffe get its long neck [csmonitor.com]?

Since early evolution theory, and likely well before, scientists have puzzled over how the spotted creature came to have a neck that stretches more than 6 feet long. The answer, according to a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications [nature.com], may have to do with a small number of genes that have evolved in the past 11 million to 12 million years, as today's tallest land mammals split off from their closest relatives.

...
The giraffe and the okapi's common ancestor had an intermediate neck length, implying that when they split off about 11.5 millions years ago, the okapi evolved to have shorter necks, Dr. Cavener tells the Monitor. As they evolved separately, the giraffe's key regulatory proteins genes underwent several modifications, promoting extended growth in the cervical vertebrae and the cardiovascular system, allowing the giraffe's heart to pump blood all the way up to its head.

Making that six-and-a-half foot journey upward has "evolved a turbocharged heart" and a vascular system adapted to handle twice the blood pressure as in other animals, the researchers write.

The real story is here [wordpress.com].

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