Puss in genes
Soon we will know what makes Tiddles tick. The genome of the domestic cat has been sequenced, revealing that one of our favourite pets has a putative 20,285 genes (Genome Research, vol 17, p 1675). The sequence, from researchers at the US National Cancer Institute in Frederick, Maryland, is of a 4-year-old Abyssinian cat named Cinnamon.
Clam that’s old!
A clam has smashed the record for the oldest living animal. The ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) survived in 80-metre-deep water off Iceland for 405 years before being dragged to the surface by researchers from Bangor…
