-
Contents
- Sweet Confusion: Does high fructose corn syrup deserve such a bad rap?
- Closed Thinking: Without scientific competition and open debate, much psychology research goes nowhere
- subscribe
- give a gift
- renew
- RSS Feeds
- email alerts
- Digital Edition
- Podcast
- Past issues
-
Contents
- Better chow yields more milk: A more nutritious form of corn for dairy cows boosts farm profits, teen investigator finds
- Fuzzy future: Kids may suffer impaired vision from spending too little time outdoors, studies suggest
- Building with moon rocks: Working on the moon with lunar soil and grit could prove easier, more efficient and less costly than using earthly materials
Web edition: February 21, 2013
What a difference a gene makes! For pigeons, one gene can make or break the appearance of fancy feathers.
Many pigeons have crests or collars, tufts of feathers on the head or neck that appear to go the wrong way. They point up toward the head instead of down toward the tail. This funny feature decorates many different pigeon breeds, but all of those birds have one thing in common: a genetic change. In January, scientists reported they had pinpointed the altered gene responsible for the feathery twist.
Visit the new Science News for Kids
Citations
T. Hesman Saey. Pigeons’ prominent plumage traces to one gene. Science News Online. January 31, 2013. [Go to]
Please alert Science News to any inappropriate posts by clicking the REPORT SPAM link within the post. Comments will be reviewed before posting.
You must register with Science News to add a comment. To log-in click here. To register as a new user, follow this link.