Heterotaxis

/ˌhɛtərəʊˈtæksɪs/ noun

Definition

The condition of organs or structures being arranged or positioned differently from the typical anatomical arrangement.

Etymology

From Greek 'hetero-' (different) and 'taxis' (arrangement, order). A formal medical and biological term established in the 19th century.

Kelly Says

In evolutionary developmental biology, heterotaxis helps explain how the same basic body parts can be rearranged across species—fish fins, amphibian legs, and bird wings have bones in wildly different positions but evolved from the same ancestral structures.

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