Researches have unraveled the genetic make up of one of the world’s strangest mammals. Teams of researches located in the UK have analysed the DNA blueprint of Australia’s very own Platypus. The platypus is thought to have diverged from a common ancestor shared with humans approximately 170 million years ago.
The species has many features that are unique to mammals; for example it has fur and rears its young on milk. However, it also shows reptile-like characteristics; the females lay eggs and the males produce venom. Some features, such as a specialized system in the platypus bill that uses electricity to detect food under water (electro-reception), are unique to monotremes. The researchers found that these diverse characteristics are mirrored by a patchwork of genes resembling those from reptiles, birds and other mammals.
Lead researcher Chris Ponting from the MRC Functional Genomics Unit at the University of Oxford said "The platypus genome is extremely important because it is the missing link in our understanding of how we and other mammals first evolved. This is our ticket back in time to when all mammals laid eggs while suckling their young on milk. It also provides an essential background to future advances in understanding mammalian biology and evolution."
Student:41750362
The species has many features that are unique to mammals; for example it has fur and rears its young on milk. However, it also shows reptile-like characteristics; the females lay eggs and the males produce venom. Some features, such as a specialized system in the platypus bill that uses electricity to detect food under water (electro-reception), are unique to monotremes. The researchers found that these diverse characteristics are mirrored by a patchwork of genes resembling those from reptiles, birds and other mammals.
Lead researcher Chris Ponting from the MRC Functional Genomics Unit at the University of Oxford said "The platypus genome is extremely important because it is the missing link in our understanding of how we and other mammals first evolved. This is our ticket back in time to when all mammals laid eggs while suckling their young on milk. It also provides an essential background to future advances in understanding mammalian biology and evolution."
Student:41750362
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