Recent genome sequencing of different species including the platypus has sought to answer the question of how genes have changed in the evolution of mammals over the past 200 million years.
The large international study, which was conducted in collaboration with the University of Adelaide, used new sequencing technology to reveal all the genes active in organ tissues such as the brain, heart, liver and testes in a range of different species including humans, chickens, mice and platypus.
The inclusion of the platypus, as our most distant mammalian relative, was particularly important to the study. The results have already revolutionised our understanding of the origin of sex chromosomes.
Read more at University of Adelaide