March 25, 2007
Rodent's bizarre traits deepen mystery of genetics, evolution
Purdue University research has shown that the vole, a mouselike rodent, is not only the fastest evolving mammal, but also harbors a number of puzzling genetic traits that challenge current scientific understanding.
Among the vole's... bizarre genetic traits:
•In one species, the X chromosome, one of the two sex-determining chromosomes (the other being the Y), contains about 20 percent of the entire genome. Sex chromosomes normally contain much less genetic information.
•In another species, females possess large portions of the Y (male) chromosome.
•In yet another species, males and females have different chromosome numbers, which is uncommon in animals.
A final "counterintuitive oddity" is that despite genetic variation, all voles look alike, said (J. Andrew) DeWoody's, former graduate student and study co-author Deb Triant.
"All voles look very similar, and many species are completely indistinguishable," DeWoody (associate professor of genetics in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources) said.
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html4ever/2006/060914DeWoodyVole.html (September 14, 2006)
by way of Science Frontiers Newsletter No.169 (Offline)
Posted by Stubbornson at March 25, 2007 04:55 PM