A shark expert, whose own curiosity about these fascinating fish was sparked by the movie "Jaws," explains some of their unique features and the many discoveries made in the decades after its release.

The toothy villain of “Jaws” terrified audiences in 1975. Offscreen, the hit film — which is celebrating its 50th anniversary — impacted sharks in unexpected ways.

The transcriptome (or sum total of the messenger RNA) of the white shark showed greater similarity to the human transcriptome than to that of other fishes. This hints that "unexpressed genes" in the shark could one day play a role in uncovering genetic pathways for potential cures in human diseases.