"And what we saw is that in the platypus, the REM sleep is absolutely unequivocal," he says. It was initially thought that the platypus didn't have REM sleep cycles, so Siegel went to Australia with modern technology to do more testing. One theory is that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep evolved recently in humans as our brains got bigger and more complex. Jerry Siegel, a neuroscientist at UCLA, says he became interested in the platypus because he believed it would help explain how sleep evolved in humans. When the first platypus specimens were brought to England from Australia in the 18th century, Wilson says, "most of the naturalists who looked at them thought they were some kind of fake." People suspected that a taxidermist had gotten creative "and sewn the bill of a duck on some sort of beaver-like creature and added webbed feet for grins," he says. "If we want to try to understand why nervous systems developed the way that they did or immune systems developed the way that they did, we can learn a tremendous amount by studying these lower mammals," says Wilson. Scientists are eager to study its genes because the platypus is one of the most ancient mammals, appearing on Earth more than 150 million years ago. "A male platypus has five X chromosomes, no two alike, and five Y chromosomes," he says. The creatures also have very unusual sex chromosomes, Wilson notes. Consider the Platypus explores the history and features of more than 50 animals to provide insight into our current understanding of evolution.
The platypus is very well adapted to the environment it lives in. Consider the Platypus uses pets such as dogs and cats as well as animal outliers like the axolotl and naked mole rat to wittily tackle mind-bending concepts about how evolution, biology, and genetics work. Male platypuses produce a potent venom delivered through a spur on their hind legs. Is the platypus in evolutionary transition, or is it an anomaly in evolution Neither. In addition to bird- and mammal-like genes, the platypus also has genes that trigger features associated with reptiles. Louis and his colleagues report in this week's issue of Nature that they have identified platypus genes that make hard-shelled eggs - much like the genes of birds. Geneticist Richard Wilson of Washington University in St. Unlike other mammals, however, the platypus lays eggs instead of birthing live young. Most of the platypus's genes control characteristics typical of mammals, such as genes for making milk and fur.
#Platypus evolution skin
But scientists have confirmed that its strangeness is more than skin deep - after unraveling the animal's genome, they have discovered that even its genes are odd.
With its furry body and duck-billed face, the platypus is nothing if not bizarre looking.
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