Re: Platypus genome

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

Steve Walsh writes: 

> The genome of everyones favourite semi-aquatic monotreme is complete: 
>
> http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/11692.html
> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=9258 
>
> It would have been here earlier but the "sequencing and assembling the 
> platypus genome proved far more daunting than sequencing any other 
> mammalian genome to date".

The sex-determinging genes alone are the most complex found so far in a 
mammal (or most other animals for that matter): 

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6568-platypus-sex-is-xxxxxrated.html 

XXXXXXXXXX makes a female platypus, XYXYXYXYXY makes a male (with no less 
than ten chromosomes involved). 

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Dann Pigdon
GIS / Archaeologist              http://geo_cities.com/dannsdinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia             http://heretichides.soffiles.com
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