Can evolution happen twice with an identical result?…

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029125532.htm

Basically, a shrew and a lizard, hardly cousins, evolved the same poison from a similar source—digestive enzymes, which evolved to a venom—a pretty nasty venom—that aids both species.

It's often been asked whether life on other planets could be like us…in any remote degree. Now, imho, there are a couple of items that impinge on that. We are genetically about 1 percent or so removed from other critters, about 99.4 % identical to...