How parrots parrot
Species: Budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus
Genome size: 1.12 billion base pairs
Interesting fact: Using a new method that combines old and new techniques to improve efficiency and accuracy, researchers have sequenced a parrot genome for the first time, giving a clearer view of the region that may control the bird's ability to mimic human speech. The team was able to assemble the regulatory regions of the FoxP2 and Egr1 genes, involved in speech development and the brain's ability to reorganize itself based on new experiences, respectively. FoxP2 is also known to be involved in vocal learning in birds that imitate sounds, like songbirds and parrots.
S. Koren et al., "Hybrid error correction and de novo assembly of single-molecule sequencing reads," Nature Biotechnology, 30: 693–700, 2012.
The high life
Species: Yak, Bos grunniens
Genome size: 2,657 million base pairs
Interesting fact: The yak genome has evolved a series of ...
