Platypus mystery solved

slowhand

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PARIS (AFP) - Arguably the oddest ***** in Nature's menagerie, the platypus looks as if were assembled from spare parts left over after the ****** 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.


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