Move over people, it’s time to study the birds and the bees. More specifically, the chicken and the honeybee, the next in a select band of organisms to have their genomes mapped. With the genetic codes of humans, mice and rats almost complete, the National Human Genome Research Institute near Washington DC has been mulling over what to go for next. Besides bees and chickens, the shortlist includes the sea urchin, several species of fungi, a protozoan and the chimpanzee鈥攚hose genome reputedly differs from ours by just over 1 per cent.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Remote-controlled cockroach swarm can now breathe underwater
2
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
3
We鈥檝e uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
4
The best sci-fi novel in 2026 so far 鈥 plus 6 other great reads
5
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
6
If you aren't terrified by this heatwave, you should be
7
You should turn off fans when it's too hot 鈥 but how hot is too hot?
8
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
9
I have a 100 per cent chance of getting cancer due to a rare gene
10
Ancient human DNA found on cave art for the first time
