The Giraffe Genome Project

I have always loved giraffes since I spent the night at the famous Giraffe Manor in Kenya while on a wonderful African safari! I was actually kissed by one — they pop their heads into the windows of the upstairs bedrooms of this fabulous historic hotel.

This fascinating article on Discovery.com is bout the Giraffe Genome Project which was a study conducted to learn more about why the giraffe has such remarkably unique physical characteristics like the long neck and beautiful markings. The study sequenced the giraffe genome to discover 70 genes that exhibit obvious adaptation – like specialized blood vessels and regulating embryo development. I highly recommend reading the article – just fascinating stuff!