Platypus Helps Scientists Understand Past
Glennie is a female duck-billed platypus that lives in New South Wales, Australia. She was the subject of a research project that included scientists from the United States, Australia, England, Germany, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, and Spain.
So why is Glennie so popular? A platypus is an interesting patchwork of a lot of animals. It is a mammal because it produces milk and is covered in fur but it also has the features of reptiles and birds and some of its own unique characteristics.
It is one of only two mammals that lay eggs. It has a duck-like bill that it uses to find food underwater. Males have spurs on their hind legs that they use to fight off their foes during breeding season.
The platypus is an offshoot of mammals that lived about 166 million years ago. It represents ancestors that had the features of mammals and reptiles. While later mammals lost the reptilian features, the platypus still maintained the combination.
The scientists have decoded the genome of the platypus. A genome is the complete package of genetic information for any living thing.
The scientists are hoping that when they compare the genome of the platypus to the DNA of humans, other animals and birds, they will be able to fill in the gaps of their understanding about the evolution of mammals. They may even be able to date some of the genes and traits that are specific to certain mammals.
Francis Collins is the director of the project. He said, “At first glance the platypus appears as if it was the result of an evolutionary accident, but as weird as this animal looks, its genome sequence is priceless for understanding how mammalian biological processes evolved.”
Source: Science Daily
BLOG QUESTION
Why is it so important to understand the evolution of mammals?
So why is Glennie so popular? A platypus is an interesting patchwork of a lot of animals. It is a mammal because it produces milk and is covered in fur but it also has the features of reptiles and birds and some of its own unique characteristics.
It is one of only two mammals that lay eggs. It has a duck-like bill that it uses to find food underwater. Males have spurs on their hind legs that they use to fight off their foes during breeding season.
The platypus is an offshoot of mammals that lived about 166 million years ago. It represents ancestors that had the features of mammals and reptiles. While later mammals lost the reptilian features, the platypus still maintained the combination.
The scientists have decoded the genome of the platypus. A genome is the complete package of genetic information for any living thing.
The scientists are hoping that when they compare the genome of the platypus to the DNA of humans, other animals and birds, they will be able to fill in the gaps of their understanding about the evolution of mammals. They may even be able to date some of the genes and traits that are specific to certain mammals.
Francis Collins is the director of the project. He said, “At first glance the platypus appears as if it was the result of an evolutionary accident, but as weird as this animal looks, its genome sequence is priceless for understanding how mammalian biological processes evolved.”
Source: Science Daily
BLOG QUESTION
Why is it so important to understand the evolution of mammals?
1 Comments:
The study of evolution is important to me because it can show where we descended from. The human species has similar references to the primate species, and CURRENT science studies show that we have descended from primates. I say current because the study of evolution is not set in stone, and isn't proven. This article means that because scientists have "cracked" the DNA of a platypus, they can learn even more about human DNA, and evolution. DNA means deoxyribonucleic acid, and it is a set of chromosomes that are inherited from parents of a living organism. I just think it is interesting that it means that, and this article tells me that DNA is still not completely figured out.
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