Zebra Finch Genome Sequenced

Posted on May 05, 2010

bird_smSongbirds are the only animal model for studying the evolution of speech and language in humans. They have been studied as a paradigm to understand how vocal communication can be used to tell apart individuals when selecting partners during courtship and forming social boundaries. Preethi Gunaratne and colleagues have published the genome of the zebra finch, which may one day help people who suffer from speech impairments, learning disabilities and problems with forming social connections.

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