{"id":580851,"date":"2023-03-29T20:57:18","date_gmt":"2023-03-30T02:57:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/?p=580851"},"modified":"2025-04-09T12:30:39","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T18:30:39","slug":"discover-why-the-platypus-is-so-strange-with-genetic-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/discover-why-the-platypus-is-so-strange-with-genetic-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover Why the Platypus is So Strange, with Genetic Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Researchers from Copenhagen have mapped the platypus genome, uncovering the origins of its bizarre characteristics.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The platypus is one of the world\u2019s most unusual and fascinating creatures. This semi-aquatic mammal, along with the <a href=\"https:\/\/es.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tachyglossidae\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">echidna<\/a>, is one of the only two surviving lineages of <a href=\"https:\/\/es.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Monotremata\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">monotremes<\/a> today. <\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/jhgf-1.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Discover Why the Platypus is So Strange, with Genetic Analysis\" style=\"object-fit:cover;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/jhgf-1.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/jhgf-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/jhgf-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/jhgf-1-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The platypus was discovered in Australia in the late 1700s, and since then, it has puzzled scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This creature, with a beak resembling a duck and a body similar to a beaver, possesses many extra features such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Laying eggs instead of giving birth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sweating milk<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Having venomous spurs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And it was recently discovered to have 10 sex chromosomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Decoding the genome will help scientists understand how other mammals, including humans, evolved, particularly the shift from laying eggs to giving birth to live young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The platypus\u2019 original traits are likely what help it adapt to its environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are three genes known as vitellogenin that are necessary for egg yolk production, but the platypus carries only one, having lost the other two genes about 130 million years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the remaining gene, the platypus continues to lay eggs, revealing that it doesn&#8217;t rely on the other genes for protein production in the yolks, as seen in other reptiles and birds, because it produces milk to nourish its young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">El ornitorrinco tambi\u00e9n cuenta con genes de case\u00edna encargados de la producci\u00f3n de prote\u00edna casera en este caso leche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The platypus also has casein genes responsible for milk production, which is a trait inherited from a mammalian ancestor that lived over 170 million years ago during the Jurassic period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adding to its strange characteristics, the platypus, being a mammal, does not have teeth. The study revealed that they were replaced around 120 million years ago, as four of the eight genes responsible for tooth development disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If these features weren&#8217;t enough, the study also explored how the platypus determines its sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mammals have two sex chromosomes: X and Y. XX is female, and XY is male.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platypuses, however, have 10 sex chromosomes: five X chromosomes and five Y chromosomes. Researchers suggest that these 10 chromosomes come from ancestors where a ring structure was formed and later divided into smaller X and Y chromosomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This makes their sex chromosomes more similar to those of birds, linking the evolutionary relationship between mammals and birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It has been found that the sexual chromosome complex in monotremes originated from an ancestral chromosomal ring configuration. The formation of such a unique chromosomal complex may have been facilitated by exceptionally extensive interactions between multi-X and multi-Y chromosomes, which are shared by autosomal homologs in humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-020-03039-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers from Copenhagen have mapped the platypus genome, uncovering the origins of its bizarre characteristics. The platypus is one of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2284,"featured_media":580853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"two_page_speed":[],"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[107085,107206],"tags":[108464,117812,107229],"class_list":["post-580851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","category-wildlife-en","tag-estudio-en","tag-extrano-en","tag-research"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdR79Q-2r6z","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":586842,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/footage-prehistoric-sea-creature\/","url_meta":{"origin":580851,"position":0},"title":"Users Stunned by Footage of a Prehistoric Sea Creature Straight Out of a Sci-Fi Movie","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"January 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"UA recent video captured by the marine research organization OceanX has shocked the world by revealing images of a six-gilled prehistoric creature in its natural habitat. This shark, which predates the dinosaurs, looks like something out of a science fiction movie, and its appearance has sparked both awe and unease.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ciencia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ciencia","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/news-en\/ciencia-noticias-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Usuarios at\u00f3nitos con las im\u00e1genes de una criatura prehist\u00f3rica marina que parece sacada de una pel\u00edcula de ciencia ficci\u00f3n","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-3.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":579254,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/chilling-orcas-mimicking-human-speecch\/","url_meta":{"origin":580851,"position":1},"title":"Chilling Recording of Orcas Mimicking Human Speech Sparks Fear","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"January 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Orcas, known for their intelligence and hunting prowess, have once again astonished the world. This time, not for their predatory skills or complex social structures, but for their ability to mimic human words. A recording of an orca named Wikie attempting to reproduce human-like sounds, such as \u201chello\u201d and \u201cgoodbye,\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/news-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Espeluznante grabaci\u00f3n de orcas imitando el habla humano causa terror","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-29.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-29.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-29.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-29.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/portada-29.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":532583,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/video-tiktoker-picks-up-and-licks-jellyfish-not-realizing-its-a-deadly-portuguese-caravel\/","url_meta":{"origin":580851,"position":2},"title":"VIDEO: TikToker picks up and licks &#8220;jellyfish&#8221;, not realizing it&#8217;s a deadly Portuguese caravel","author":"Alejandra Galaz","date":"March 19, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A popular TikTok user, alexa_reed2, who had nearly 1 million followers (before deleting his account), posted a video showing him pushing, lifting and even licking a brightly colored blue \"jellyfish\" lying on the beach.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ciencia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ciencia","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/category\/ciencia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/lick.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/lick.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/lick.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/lick.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/lick.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/lick.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":545753,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/otters-mystery-of-their-favorite-stone\/","url_meta":{"origin":580851,"position":3},"title":"Otters and the Mystery of Their Favorite Stone","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"October 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Regardless of their age, otters have a peculiar habit that sets them apart: they carry a favorite stone with them throughout their entire lives. You've probably seen in photos or videos how these adorable creatures swim on their backs, holding something in their front paws. Often, this can be their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Otters and the Mystery of Their Favorite Stone","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/otters-and-the-mystery-of-their-favorite-stone-portada.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/otters-and-the-mystery-of-their-favorite-stone-portada.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/otters-and-the-mystery-of-their-favorite-stone-portada.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/otters-and-the-mystery-of-their-favorite-stone-portada.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/otters-and-the-mystery-of-their-favorite-stone-portada.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":548015,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/greenland-shark-oldest-vertebrate-world-eas\/","url_meta":{"origin":580851,"position":4},"title":"Greenland Shark Becomes the Oldest Vertebrate in the World","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"November 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In the northern Atlantic Ocean resides the oldest living vertebrate on the planet, a shark native to Greenland. This discovery has astonished experts as it's estimated to have an average age of 500 years. Observers had previously encountered this mysterious creature; in fact, it had graced the covers of several\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Wildlife&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Wildlife","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/wildlife\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Greenland Shark Becomes the Oldest Vertebrate in the World","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/greenland-shark-becomes-the-oldest-vertebrate-in-the-world-cover.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/greenland-shark-becomes-the-oldest-vertebrate-in-the-world-cover.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/greenland-shark-becomes-the-oldest-vertebrate-in-the-world-cover.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/greenland-shark-becomes-the-oldest-vertebrate-in-the-world-cover.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/greenland-shark-becomes-the-oldest-vertebrate-in-the-world-cover.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":595816,"url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/cats-could-most-perfect-creatures-that-exist\/","url_meta":{"origin":580851,"position":5},"title":"Cats could be the most perfect creatures that exist","author":"Erick Sumoza","date":"October 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"From small domestic kittens to majestic big cats, felines are astonishing examples of evolutionary adaptation. Anjali Goswami, evolutionary biologist at London\u2019s Natural History Museum, highlights how these animals embody a unique specialization that makes them masters of survival. The perfection of cats according to study Anjali Goswami discovered the evolutionary\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gatos podr\u00edan ser podr\u00edan ser la criatura m\u00e1s perfecta que existe","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/naufan-rusyda-faikar-9TO61J9e_xQ-unsplash-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/naufan-rusyda-faikar-9TO61J9e_xQ-unsplash-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/naufan-rusyda-faikar-9TO61J9e_xQ-unsplash-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/naufan-rusyda-faikar-9TO61J9e_xQ-unsplash-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/naufan-rusyda-faikar-9TO61J9e_xQ-unsplash-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/jhgf-1.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2284"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=580851"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":580857,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580851\/revisions\/580857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/580853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=580851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=580851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=580851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}