What makes a mammal a mammal? Our spine, say scientists

What makes a mammal a mammal? Our spine, say scientists

Mammals are unique in many ways. We're warm-blooded and agile in comparison with our reptilian relatives.

But a new study, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and led by Harvard University researchers Stephanie Pierce and Katrina Jones, suggests we're unique in one more way -- the makeup of our spines. The researchers describe their finding in a paper published this week in the journal Science.

"The spine is basically like a series of beads on a string, ...

More at https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=296527&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click

This is an NSF News item.

Published September 20, 2018 at 11:30PM