July 2, 2015

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The first comprehensive analysis of the woolly mammoth genome reveals extensive genetic changes that allowed mammoths to adapt to life in the arctic. Newly-identified mammoth genes played roles in skin and hair development, fat metabolism, insulin signaling and numerous other traits--even physical ones such as skull shape, small ears and short tails. As a test of function, a mammoth gene involved in temperature sensation was resurrected in the laboratory and its protein product characterized.Full Story

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University of Chicago Medical Center

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