Age old questions are being answered at Harvard University. Questions like 'How does a leopard get its spots' or 'How does a zebra get its strips' are seeing an answer in their future.
The possible answer? A gene called Agouti, which governs the pattern of deer mice as concluded by the Harvard team. This gene was previously known to affect the pigment in fur, feathers, and scales. When Agouti is exhibited in the belly, it delays the maturation of the cells the become pigments throughout the organisms body.
My take on this is that it is really good that we are closer to answering question of the unknown. This was an excellent article. I am excited to learn about the Agouti gene because I have always been interested in genes. I hope they get a chance to conclude whether or not this gene is held responsible for all patterns, including those of the leopard and zebra.
No comments:
Post a Comment