Scales or feathers? It all comes down to a few genes

Scales, spines, feathers and hair are examples of vertebrate skin appendages, which constitute a remarkably diverse group of micro-organs. Despite their natural multitude of forms, these appendages share early developmental ...

Birds take flight with help from Sonic hedgehog

Feathers are amazing evolutionary innovations that allowed birds to conquer the sky. A study led by Matthew Towers (University of Sheffield, UK) and Marian Ros (University of Cantabria, Spain) and published in the journal ...

Enhancer adoption changes limb morphology

The difference between webbed toes and distinct digits may result from how genes regulate genetic information. Researchers at the National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS) in ...

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