Harvard study explores genetics behind evolution of flightless birds
Since Darwin’s era, scientists have wondered how flightless birds like emus, ostriches, kiwis, cassowaries, and others are related, and for decades the assumption was that they must all share a common ancestor who abandoned the skies for a more grounded life. By the early 2000s, new research using genetic tools upended that story, and instead pointed to the idea that flightlessness evolved many times throughout history. Left unanswered, however, were questions about whether evolution had pulled similar or different genetic levers in each of those independent avian lineages. A team of Harvard researchers believes they may now have part of the answer. Based on an analysis of the genomes of more than a dozen flightless birds, including an extinct moa, a team of researchers led by Tim Sackton, director of bioinformatics for the FAS Informatics Group, and Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Scott Edwards found that while different species show wide variety...