![]() Truly a remarkable specimen, platypus can live, hunt, and thrive in both land and water. It is a specialized egg-laying predatory group that has been the center of research for decades.Ĭheck out: 503 New Species Identified by Scientists in 2020 It is classified under the mammalian group monotremes, which include echidnas. How Platypus Genomes Could Reveal New Evolutionary InformationĪ recent study published in the journal Nature, gives a first look at the complete overview of the platypus' genome revealing new evolutionary information about the mysterious mammalian group and insight on human DNA. ![]() Monotremes, which only include the semi-aquatic platypus and echidnas, share a unique trait: egg-laying.įor the first time since its discovery, scientists are able to provide a complete chromosomal map of the platypus and a lee-complete echidna genome-map. Using genetic data, scientists analyzed the species habits, from eating habits to swimming routines. One of the discoveries pertains to the mammals' olfactory, which has far fewer genes than the terrestrial counterpart: the echidnas. The genetic data gathered also reveals that when platypus are submerged, their nasal cavity and eyes are closed solely relying on other senses suck as electric stimuli for prey detection. Unique Reproductive StrategyĮgg-laying is by far the most unique in the species. Hence scientists focused explicitly on sex chromosomes. The monotreme has 5 X chromosomes and 5 Y chromosomes, for a total of 10 sex chromosomes. Humans, on the other hand, have only 2 sex chromosomes. Guojie Zhang, the author and a biology professor at the University of Copenhagen, tells in an interview, "Genome sequencing, we found 10 sex chromosomes do not have any homolog with the X/Y chromosomes in humans." Researchers have discovered more significant similarities between birds and platypus than between humans and platypus through careful analysis. The complex structure of the platypus' sex chromosomes displays unusual interaction during cell division ( meiosis). The study's most intriguing findings are regarding the ring structure since the chromosomal structure is often seen in plants but never in animals, making it a groundbreaking discovery.Ĭomparing platypus genomes to other ancient animals, scientists could map out the ancient mammal's chromosomes.ĭue to the interaction and pairing of chromosomes during meiosis in monotremes, the sex chromosomes can form ring structures, according to Zhang.
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