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Platypus: mapping the genome of the word's strangest animal
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The platypus is without doubt one of the strangest animals on the planet. It has intrigued scientists since it was first discovered. 
Work has been done to map its genome and the results are unusual, strange and complicated.
They are part mammal, bird and reptile. They have some genes from each. Some of their genetic material is very old.
They are mammals, but ancient monotreme mammals. Monotremes lay eggs and there are only two species left.
So they are still able to produce yolk for an egg which the rest of us modern mammals can't do. They are able to produce milk to feed their young which egg laying species can't do. This adaptation is 170 million years old.
There is more work to be done to understand the platypus and  there is more to be learned about modern mammals from understanding out roots.


https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/part-mammal...-1.5260421

This is really interesting. Our roots as mammals go way back in time. The mutations that made platypuses mammals are the ones that make us mammals.
They happened a long time ago. We lost the ability to lay eggs a long time ago too. This new information is going to change time lines  a bit.
There is more to be learned and I look forward to more detailed articles in the future.


There is another article. It is different and it has other details.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/platypus-g...t-so-weird

The more you know about platypuses, the stranger they seem to be.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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