platypus genome

I'm very pleased to report that, just days before publication of my book "The birds, the bees and the platypuses", the genome sequence of Ornithorhynchus anatinus, also known as the duck-billed platypus, is being published in Nature (issue of 8.5.).

As was to be expected from the unusual phenotype, the genetic features are a colourful mixture of things shared with other mammals, reptiles, and indeed birds. Apart from explaining how the platypus and the small group it belongs to, the monotremes, is so different from everything else, the genome is also useful as an external reference point for genomic studies drawing comparisons between mammals.

I'm also preparing a longer feature article about the genome, which will appear in due course (in German, though).