WASHINGTON (AP) — Our very ancient animal ancestors had tails. Why don’t we? Somewhere around 20 million or 25 million years ago, when apes diverged from monkeys, our branch of the tree of life shed its tail. From Darwin’s time, scientists have wondered why — and how — this happened. Now, researchers have identified at least one of the key genetic tweaks that led to this change. “We found a single mutation in a very important gene,” said Bo Xia, a geneticist at the Broad Institute and co-author of a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The researchers compared the genomes of six species of apes, including humans, and 15 species of monkeys with tails to pinpoint key differences between the groups. Once they identified a significant mutation, they tested their theory by using the gene-editing tool CRISPR to tweak the same spot in mouse embryos. Those mice were born without tails. |
Boeing in the spotlight as Congress calls a whistleblower to testify about defects in planesUnitedHealth Group, Morgan Stanley rise; PNC Financial, Live Nation fall, Tuesday, 4/16/2024Rose Byrne looks unrecognisable with a bleached blonde beehive wig on set of latest movie TowWisconsin man pleads not guilty to neglect in disappearance of boyFritz Peterson, Yankees pitcher who traded wives with teammate, dies at 81Brewers' Christian Yelich goes on the injured list with lower back strainPrincess Martha Louise has preGovernor's pandemic rules for bars violated North Carolina Constitution, appeals court saysRanger Suárez and Bryce Harper help the Phillies beat the Rockies 5Voting technology company settles lawsuit against far