PR by the EBI: ``UK-based researchers at the Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit in Oxford and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge have revealed the genetic makeup of the one of the world’s strangest mammals. They have analysed the DNA blueprint of the platypus, one of only a few surviving monotremes which, of all mammals, are the most distantly-related to humans. The platypus, a female nicknamed Glennie, was sequenced by scientists at the Genome Sequencing Centre of Washington University School of Medicine, USA as part of an international research collaboration including scientists from the UK and Australia. The analysis is published in the 8 May issue of Nature.''

``The platypus looks like such a strange blend of mammalian, bird-like and reptilian features and now we know that the genome is an equally bizarre mix of all of these. It's much more of a melange than anyone expected,'' commented Ewan Birney, leader of the genome analysis performed at the EBI.

Nature article (PDF):
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v453/n7192/pdf/nature06936.pdf

Full

PR

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/embl-pgs050608.php