Neither fish nor fowl: Platypus genome decoded

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

PARIS (AFP) - Arguably the oddest beast in Nature's menagerie, the platypus looks as if were assembled from spare parts left over after the animal kingdom was otherwise complete.

Now scientists know why. According to a study released Wednesday, the egg-laying critter is a genetic potpourri -- part bird, part reptile and part lactating mammal.

The task of laying bare the platypus genome of 2.2 billion base pairs spread across 18,500 genes has taken several years, but will do far more than satisfy the curiosity of just biologists, say the researchers.

Read entire story here (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080507/sc_afp/sciencebiologygeneticsplatypus).

[666x666]

Wow. 10 sex chromosomes. Crazy. I love the random facts at the end that really have no relation to the article. Other than the fact that it is about platypi. Or whatever the plural form is.

[El Comandante]

What we need around here is some platypus porn.

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Wow. 10 sex chromosomes. Crazy. I love the random facts at the end that really have no relation to the article. Other than the fact that it is about platypi. Or whatever the plural form is.

Wow. So are you like the equivalent of Satan² or what?

That really has no relation to the article either.

[rainbowdemon]

Other than the fact that it is about platypi. Or whatever the plural form is.


Platypussy?

[Excrement_Cranium]

So, yeah... I read the article waiting for random facts that have nothing to do with the article.


Instead, I find information about the platypus. Some of it may have not been related to the platypus genome, but it was all platypustastic.

[666x666]

I meant that it hadn't anything to do with the genome. Which was the main focus of the article. But I guess it was related in the sense that it's the same animal.

[aqlo]

Oh, it's a old-time calculator puzzle, its 443556
if you turn it upside down it says GOOBER

[Feather]

Nice info
where you been hiding.
were we being bad
I know you were

[badcaffeine]

What we need around here is some platypus porn.

That sounds like an inquiry that needs to be aimed toward anon! :P And perhaps the plural is platypussies... :P More importantly, what would a 'group' of them be called? A herd of platypussies? A flock, gaggle, swarm, or stampede perhaps!?t

(To legitimately answer however, plural form is platypus or platypuses... platypi is no longer accepted or valid apparently. And there doesn't seem to be a name for them in groups as they're solitary animals :non-social:)

[ctarlet]

Thanks badcaffeine, I was just getting ready to look that up :)

As for the whole story, I didn't get to read it because it is no longer there according to Yahoo, but I think it would have been interesting. I always wondered what exactly it was. The fact that it is part bird, reptile, and lactating mammal indeed proves that initial theories were right... it wasassembled from spare parts left over after the animal kingdom was otherwise complete.

[badcaffeine]

The second link in the thread is also to the same (I have to assume) story. ;) Here it is again though.

A fraggle of platypussies!!! (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/08/2238461.htm)
(Yes, I have dubbed a new term [or reused one perhaps, lol] for them since they don't have one! What if they DID group together?! Would we just sit here and be unprepared?!?! NO!! I THINK NOT! We now have a name for them, and [according to the Neverending Story] can destroy them!!!)
:P

[notbob]

not only are they a genetic hodgepodge, they have poison claws to boot! as if they weren't freaky enough

[ctarlet]

Exactly notbob. I wonder how venomous the claw is. I mean would it be the equivalent to say a small spider bite, or more like a copperhead. Either way I don't want to be the one to find out.