University of Utah researchers decoded¹ the genetic² blueprint³ of the rock pigeon, unlocking secrets about pigeons' Middle East origins, feral（野生的，凶猛的） pigeons' kinship with escaped racing⁴ birds, and how mutations give pigeons traits like a fancy feather hairdo known as a head crest⁵. "Birds are a huge part of life on Earth, and we know surprisingly little about their genetics," especially compared with mammals and fish, says Michael D. Shapiro, one of the study's two principal authors and an assistant professor of biology at the University of Utah. "There are more than 10,000 species of birds, yet we know very little about what makes them so diverse genetically⁶ and developmentally."

 

He adds that in the new study, "we've shown a way forward to find the genetic basis of traits -- the molecular⁷ mechanisms⁸ controlling animal diversity in pigeons. Using this approach, we expect to be able to do this for other traits in pigeons, and it can be applied⁹ to other birds and many other animals as well."

 

The study appears Jan. 31 on Science Express, the website of the journal Science. Shapiro led the research with Jun Wang of China's BGI-Shenzhen (formerly Beijing Genomics Institute) and other scientists from BGI, the University of Utah, Denmark's University of Copenhagen and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

 

Key findings of the study of pigeons, which first were domesticated¹⁰（驯养） some 5,000 years ago in the Mediterranean¹¹ region:

 

"The researchers sequenced the genome, or genetic blueprint, of the rock pigeon, Columba livia, among the most common and varied¹² bird species on Earth. There are some 350 breeds with different sizes, shapes, colors, color patterns, beaks¹³, bone structure, vocalizations and arrangements of feathers on the feet and head -- including head crests¹⁴ that come in shapes known as hoods¹⁵（头套，风帽）, manes（灵魂）, shells and peaks.

 

"The pigeon is among the few bird genomes sequenced so far, along with those of the chicken, turkey, zebra finch¹⁶ and a common parakeet（长尾小鹦鹉） known as a budgerigar or budgie, so "this will give us new insights into bird evolution," Shapiro says.

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