Tag genes

Research shows that wild African Elephants act like domestic animals

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Research shows that wild African Elephants act like domestic animals, and that they may have domesticated themselves.

Humans have domesticated many animals to be friendly, sociable, and docile. Scientists have seen that wild African Elephants play, care for their young, and show social behaviours that domesticated animals have, even though they have never been domesticated by humans. 

Scientists say that wild African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) are one of the few species to show self-domestication, which has only previously been documented in Bonobo Chimpanzees (Pan paniscus).  

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RESEARCH: Plan Bee – Honey Bee research in Australia

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Plan Bee is a national genetic improvement program for bees. It uses innovative breeding technologies to transform the performance of Honey Bees in Australia.

Dr. Nadine Chapman from the University of Sydney is Plan Bee’s lead researcher. The BEE molecular laboratory and bee house at the university actually stands for Behaviour, Ecology, and Evolution.

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Why do some pigeons have feathered feet?

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Most pigeons have scales on their feet (and not feathers).

However, some pigeons have a genetic variation (or two) that gives them feathers on their legs and feet (a lot of feathers or a little bit).

Foot feathering comes from variations in two genes: slipper and grouse. A bird that has the feathery versions of both slipper and grouse have an extreme form of foot feathering, called muff.

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RESEARCH: Why can’t the Galapagos Island cormorant fly?

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There is a bird species of cormorant on the Galápagos Islands that cannot fly. It is the only cormorant species in the world that has lost its ability to fly. Why?

Emus and ostriches cannot fly. They are very large birds. The Galápagos Islands cormorant is not a very large bird.

Scientists have found the genes that are present in birds, mammals and most animals, that may have the answer. The genes are called C. elegans.

The genes affect bone growth. In birds, a mutation (change) of the genes cause a weaker breastbone and smaller wings, which are not effective for flying. Scientists think that the mutation of the genes in Galápagos Islands cormorants occurred about two million years ago.

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