University of Vienna Finds Genome 'Highways' Across 4,454 Animal Species
Updated
Updated · Vienna.at · Aug 21
University of Vienna Finds Genome 'Highways' Across 4,454 Animal Species
3 articles · Updated · Vienna.at · Aug 21
Summary
4,454 animal species mapped at chromosome level showed genomes change along a limited set of repeatable paths rather than randomly, University of Vienna researchers reported in Science Advances.
More than 5,800 public genomes from 19 major animal groups enabled the largest such comparison, using a new "evolutionary genome topology" framework to trace changes over 600 million years.
A key mechanism is "fusion-with-mixing"—when chromosomes merge and genes are rearranged in ways the team says are usually irreversible, leaving durable marks in genome architecture.
That map highlights unusually divergent lineages such as mosquitoes, glass sponges and earthworms, which could sharpen studies of animal relationships and evolutionary history.
Researchers said the approach could also link chromosome change to gene regulation, development and biodiversity, and help identify evolutionarily distinct lineages for conservation.