The first time to decode the DNA of kangaroo

The BBC reported on August 19, in an article published in the journal Genome Biology of scientific publisher Biomed Central, a group of scientists said it was the first time to decode the DNA of a kangaroo and even identify a gene that defines the characteristic jumps of this species.

The group focused on a small species of kangaroo called Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii) , living on the island off Australia's southwest coast. This is only the third marsupial to be sequenced. The other two species are the Tasmania devil and the South American opossum .

The team said the first genetically engineered kangaroo genome is an important milestone in mammalian evolution. The ancestors of kangaroo and other marsupials separated from mammals at least 130 million years ago.

Professor Marilyn Renfree of the University of Melbourne, the project's principal researcher, said: "Tammar Wallaby's genetic sequencing project has helped us understand how other possums are like us."

Dr. Elizabeth Murchison, marsupial specialist at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, England, described the study as 'an excellent tool for understanding the development of particular marsupials and animals'. Breasts in general, and is an impressive study of one of Australia's iconic animals. "

In addition to identifying genes for "jumps" , researchers also pinpointed genes that regulate other important traits of marsupials. For example, Tammar Wallaby baby is only about the size of a grain of rice when born. In the next stage of development, they live in their mother's pockets and breastfeed.

This bag is outside the body of the mother so the developing child faces many sources of disease. However, antibodies in mother's milk play an important role in the survival of new born babies.